As the fire began to fade away, the humanoid figure among the soldiers lowered their crossbow angrily. "God DAMN it!!"

Hawk touched his own face, as though suddenly realizing that there was something on it. The soldiers were chattering in the background, but that seemed very fuzzy and far away. Hawk then became aware that he didn't have much energy left at all, actually, and he sank back against the wall, his legs shaking.

"Sir?" someone said. Hawk had slid down the wall into a sitting position, and looked to see, standing over him, the figure of one of the soldiers. It was odd--he could just make out their edges, but not much else. They were just a dark silhouette which the light didn't seem to touch. And as Hawk looked, they began to swim slightly, fracturing into pale colored afterimages. "Are you all right? Can you understand me?"

Hawk stared for a moment, and then said numbly, "There's kids in that truck."

"We'll take care of them," the figure assured him. Everything had gone grey and fuzzy and increasingly dark, except for the hangar doorway, through which the light was blazing solid white. "Don't worry."

"Good," Hawk said, and quite calmly leaned forward, resting his forehead on his knees and pulling his wings around himself. "I just need a minute."