Here we go again! Thank you all for sticking with me, especially those who comment. It makes my day to read them and know people are enjoying the story and care about these characters as much as I do! This chapter has gone through a LOT of edits so I'm happy to finally share it with you. We're coming to the end of the story - but not without a couple more surprises.
Chapter 24: What Makes a Hero
Someone is tapping Hawks' face. He blinks. Creati's brows are drawn together and her eyes are a little wet, but her voice and hands are steady. She's got a good bedside manner, calm and reassuring. She'll be good at rescues, good at leading others when the shit really hits the fan. "Please stay awake, sir."
"Hawks. Not sir. Makes me sound old." Hawks attempts a charming smile. Judging by the young hero's frown, it doesn't work particularly well. He doesn't think he was out for long enough to warrant that much concern. The boys are still arguing in the background.
"You're telling me Anima is the one who defied orders? And you left him?" says Shinso.
"If he couldn't handle himself, he wouldn't fucking be here," Dynamite snarls.
Shinso scoffs. "I know that. I'm just surprised you agreed to be the messenger boy."
To Hawks' surprise, Dynamite's next words come out a little less venomous. "Yeah, well. He deserves the chance to save someone he couldn't reach the first time."
The group is silent for a moment. There's shouting from above and below them, and Hawks can't pinpoint where it's coming from. He's drifting again, struggling to stay conscious or remember why that's important. The heroes are here, Tokoyami will be safe with them. Mission accomplished, right?
He's shaken again, this time by Shinso. "Oi, what kind of pro falls asleep in the middle of a mission?"
"Pretty sure I'm not considered a pro right now," Hawks slurs in reply. Shinso's another one with plenty of potential; he's unobtrusive when he needs to be and he pays attention to the details. With a bit of training the Commission could use-
And Hawks needs to cut off that line of thinking right now before he does something stupid, like creating a report on these kids for the Commission, or worse, caring for them. That's gotten him into enough trouble already.
"Sir…ah, Hawks, I mean. Do you think Tokoyami's okay?" Creati asks. Hawks squints at her, trying to decide if she's looking for reassurance or the truth (or, more likely, just a way to keep him talking). She takes it the wrong way and backtracks. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. Of course he's not okay."
Hawks sighs. "It's not stupid. It's just…you sure you want to hear this?" Creati nods, and the other students draw a little closer, even though they keep their eyes on the doctor and the door. Hawks shifts again, drawing in as much breath as he can. "He was tortured, betrayed, and abandoned for weeks. So, no, he's not okay. But the League underestimated him – I underestimated him. He refused to give them what they wanted. Shigaraki tried to dust him once to get to me. And you know what? He couldn't fucking do it. I don't mean he suddenly grew a conscience about killing a kid, I mean Tokoyami and Dark Shadow pulled off a brand new super move."
"What? He stood up to Shigaraki and he put up that lame ass fight against me? That motherf-"
"Bakugo!" Creati hisses.
"-owes me a rematch," Dynamite complains.
"My money's on Tsukuyomi," says Hawks.
"Do not encourage him," Shinso grumbles.
Hawks just grins. He isn't in pain now – can't feel much of anything, actually. He's going to feel guilty if he dies in front of the students, but Eraserhead's a good teacher. He'll turn it into a learning experience or something. He can just…
"Don't you dare pass out again, you asshole," Dynamite practically yells in his ear, jostling him awake with considerably less gentleness than his companions. "You have a lot to answer for, even if you weren't the one who attacked us."
Perhaps he won't die after all. Hawks is beginning to believe these kids will keep his soul attached to his body through nothing but willpower and sheer spite.
Suddenly there's a sound like thunder that makes the whole room shake. Dust and chunks of plaster fall from the ceiling, and one of the glass cabinets pitches forward. Hawks' first instinct is to throw out his wings to protect the students, but that proves to be a monumentally bad idea for his injuries. Luckily, his young protectors are almost as quick to react. Creati makes a large shield while Shinso and Dynamite throw themselves bodily over Hawks and Ujiko, protecting their heads. When the room settles, no one is hurt (at least, no more than they were a moment ago).
"I told you not to go blasting through the doors," says Shinso.
"That wasn't me!"
It occurs to Hawks that this school was abandoned for a reason: it was built before quirks were common and never refurbished to accommodate them. It could probably handle a bit of villain infighting, but it's not going to hold up well to a full-on battle. His fight against Dark Shadow and their destruction of the gymnasium probably hasn't helped the building's stability, either.
"What now?" says Shinso. He's still crouched by Ujiko, sweeping away the dusting of plaster on his legs. "If we stay here, we might get crushed. If we leave, we might get crushed."
"At least we'd be moving, not sitting around waitingfor everyone else to do their damn jobs," Dynamite replies.
"Which means there are still powerful villains in the building," Creati argues. "Eraserhead told us to defend this room. If we leave, we'll be disobeying a direct order. We can make this room safe if we secure the cabinets and move the tables together so we all fit underneath them."
"We'd still be trapped if the ceiling fell. I'm not sure the doctor or Hawks have that kind of time," says Shinso.
"Nice to be included," Hawks mumbles, offering the kid a little wave to prove he's still (mostly) conscious.
There's more banging and more dust. The shelving units rattle ominously. Creati squats in front of Hawks. "You've been in this building for a long time, right?"
"Oi! He's a potential villain now. You can't trust him," says Dynamite.
"I'm asking for information. I never said I would trust it," Creati replies.
"Smart," says Hawks. "Whad'ya want to know?"
"Will this room hold, or is there another safe place we can go?" she asks.
"I'm pretty sure this place has been falling apart for years," Hawks replies. "I don't think the whole thing will collapse unless Shigaraki starts disintegrating load-bearing walls, but I'm with Dynamite on this one. I'd rather be on the move."
A piercing shriek from somewhere below their feet shakes the room. Another piece of the ceiling falls and Dynamite sets off a small explosion to break it, while a bunch of old science textbooks slide right off their designated shelf.
"All in favor of getting the hell out of here say 'aye,'" says Shinso, followed by a murmur of agreement from the rest of the room.
"We can't carry them both. I'll create a couple of stretchers. One of you needs to let Eraserhead and the other teams know," says Creati. She reaches for her stomach, already pulling the end of a simple gurney from her glowing skin.
"Got it," says Shinso. He taps the communicator in his ear. "Maybe Uravity can meet us halfway and give us a hand rolling them across the lawn. Otherwise it'll be a jerky ride."
While Shinso updates the other heroes and Creati makes the gurneys, Dynamite preps Ujiko and Hawks for transport. His bedside manner leaves something to be desired, but Hawks can't deny the kid's efficiency. He and Shinso heft the doctor on one gurney, then help Hawks settle onto the other. Creati rolls Hawks' bed into the hall. The movement makes Hawks' head spin, and though his body is begging him to shut his eyes and let go, he's too agitated to pass out now. He has to protect his protectors. He will not let another young hero suffer because of him.
Creati pauses briefly when her communicator crackles, then explains, "Midnight's team will meet us at the front doors if they can. Uravity is with them – she'll make you float, and Midnight can sedate you safely. You won't be in pain."
Hawks shakes his head. "Not until Tsukuyomi's safe. Did they find him?"
Creati shakes her head. "No one else responded."
They don't make it very far down the hall before there's another rumble and a shout. Hawks can feel it pulse up through the gurney wheels like a heartbeat. Creati pauses and glances back down the hall. Hawks follows her gaze just in time to see two young heroes come bounding around the corner, throwing themselves away from a burst of blue flames.
"Better run faster, little brats," a familiar voice calls after them.
"Fuck," Hawks mutters.
"Earphone Jack, Chargebolt!" Creati shouts. The pair book it down the hall and practically collapse beside their classmates.
"That guy," Chargebolt pants, "has some serious fucking issues."
"Bit of an understatement," says Hawks.
Earphone Jack whips around to face him, settling into a defensive stance. "Shit, I forgot you had Hawks."
He waves. "Hey there."
Creati puts a hand on Earphone Jack's shoulder, gently redirecting her pose. "He's a non-combatant; he's hurt pretty badly."
"Where're Present Mic and Cellophane?" asks Shinso.
"Mic told us to get out of the way so he could use his quirk, and Cellophane is trying to stabilize the damage to the building," says Earphone Jack.
Present Mic's signature shriek echoes from around the corner and a light above them sways precariously. Dynamite takes off towards the sound. He makes it almost halfway down the hall before Shinso catches him. "Our orders are to protect the targets!"
"Let go of me! I've been itching to get my hands on that guy's ugly face since the last time he kidnapped someone," Dynamite snarls.
"We have orders, too," says Earphone Jack. She opens her jacket, revealing the pages folded up in her pockets. "Present Mic told us to keep these safe. Dabi was trying to burn them when we found him, along with everything else in the room."
"The essays…" Hawks breathes. "Did you get all of them?"
"We grabbed as many as we could," Chargebolt says, revealing a few more pages tucked into his own pockets. He glances warily over his shoulder as the building trembles again. "We figured if Dabi was trying to get rid of them, they must be important."
"They are," says Hawks. Tokoyami's journals might help to prove his innocence, even if they implicate Hawks as a spy. It all depends on how the words are spun, of course. Those pages could be used to manipulate Tokoyami, too, or blame him in some way for the attack on U.A. Hawks doesn't trust anyone to make the right choices these days, but U.A., at least, seems interested in protecting Tokoyami.
"Don't let anyone else know about those pages, especially no one connected to the Commission," he says urgently. "Take them to your school. Nezu will know what to do."
"What are they?" Creati asks.
Hawks has no time to explain. The light above them shatters with Present Mic's next scream – one that's abruptly cut off. Dabi literally falls into view, his hands still smoking and his back hitting the floor hard.
"New orders. Take the doctor, take those papers, and run," Hawks says.
"We don't take orders from you, and I don't runfrom anything," says Dynamite.
Dabi is already getting to his feet. There are fresh tears in his coat, bandages covering parts of his torso and arms, and a bit of blood coming from his ear. However, it doesn't look like Hawks, Dark Shadow, or any of the heroes have managed to do any permanent damage. Present Mic hasn't reappeared, either, which is a bad sign for the pro. Hawks grabs Creati's wrist and tugs her down. "I'm serious. You need to leave right now. This isn't a fight you can win."
"Well, well, looks like you brats found some friends."
Too late.
"Stay where you are if you don't want to lose what's left of your face," Dynamite growls.
Dabi squints at him, then laughs. "Hey, I remember you! You're the first brat we picked up. Gotta admit, I'm curious. What was it that made you so special? You heroes left the birds to rot, but All Might himself came for you. Of course, that didn't work out so great for him. Does that mean it's your fault?"
"Shut up!" Dynamite launches a fireball at the villain, who produces a flame that meets Dynamite's halfway. The ensuing explosion shakes the entire hall, forcing them to duck and cover once again. The busted light fixture crashes practically on top of Hawks and Creati, glass clinking off her shield.
"Aw, did I hit a nerve?" Dabi asks. His boots crunch over bits of glass, plaster, and stone. "Are you All Might's favorite? No need to by shy about it. Tsukuyomigave you up. Sang like a…well, you know."
"That's a lie!" Hawks yells without thinking.
Dabi appears briefly surprised by his sudden outburst, but his expression quickly morphs into a smug grin. "Well hey there birdie! You kiddos better be careful, you've got a ruthless killer there."
"You're one to talk. You tortured a child," says Hawks.
"Runs in the family, I guess." Dabi shrugs. "And besides, which one of us actually tried to kill him? Tried to kill every one of us, in fact. You brats should be grateful I came along. That traitor deserves to burn."
"Then burn me and leave them alone," says Hawks.
"Please stop trying to help us, you're making it worse," Earphone Jack mutters.
"You should listen to her. It's pretty obvious she's smarter than you," Dabi says. His gaze lands on the second gurney and his smile widens. "Look at that, you've got the Doc, too! I was wondering what happened to him. Trouble is, that makes two things you have that I want, and patience really isn't my strong suit. This is your last warning, little heroes. Leave the traitor and the doctor to me, or I burn you all together."
Dynamite readies an explosion, but Shinso lays a hand on his shoulder and steps forward. "Maybe we can make a deal. Why do you want them so badly?"
"The deal is you get to live, that's-" Dabi's hands drop to his sides and his face goes slack. After a moment of silence, they let out a collective sigh of relief. Hawks decides if he ever gets to be a hero again, he's hiring every one of these students, consequences and weird familial feelings be damned.
"Stay where you are and don't move," Shinso orders. He turns to Dynamite and quietly adds, "No more explosions, or you'll knock him loose."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll keep an eye on this idiot in case he gets anymore terrible ideas," Dynamite replies, leveling a glare at Hawks.
Never mind. These kids are way to perceptive. They're all fired.
"I'm going back to find Present Mic and Cellophane," says Earphone Jack.
"Be careful!" says Creati.
Earphone Jack nods and carefully steps around Dabi. The villain doesn't even track her with his eyes. Hawks lets himself relax just a little and groans. "Shit that hurts."
"Lay down then, you idiot," says Dynamite.
"You're like one big burn, not to mention the broken arm. I'm guessing that's his fault?" says Chargebolt, jabbing his thumb in Dabi's direction.
"The burns? Yes."
"Not the arm?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
Hawks is saved from answering by the return of Earphone Jack, alongside both Present Mic and Cellophane. She and Cellophane are supporting the pro hero between them, with one arm each under his shoulders. Mic coughs with every other breath; the heavy speaker around his neck is probably not helping. It looks like his headphones are cracked and he's not putting weight on his left ankle, which is wrapped in Cellophane's tape.
"Sensei! What happened?" Creati shouts, rushing to help.
"Smoke," Present Mic chokes out. His voice is hoarse, and he immediately starts coughing again.
"He inhaled a lot on that last attack, and I think his ankle is broken," Cellophane explains.
"Should I make another gurney? I don't know if we can maneuver three…"
"No, I'm ok," Mic replies. He signs the same thing with his hands.
"I can at least make a crutch," she says, already pulling one from her side.
Present Mic raises an eyebrow at Dabi's frozen figure as he limps past it. Hawks doesn't know enough sign language to understand him this time, but it becomes obvious enough when Shinso nods and Mic gives him a thumbs up.
"What should we do with him?" Shinso asks. "We can't just leave him here."
Present Mic unhooks a pair of handcuffs from his belt and hands them to Shinso. Shinso orders Dabi to put his hands together. The villain obeys without hesitation, docilly allowing the young hero to cuff him. Hawks has never coveted another person's quirk so much in his life. It frustrates him endlessly that he can't help. He's been reduced to a burden, both helpless victim and dangerous captive until he can clear his name. If he can clear his name; if it's even worth trying.
The heroes roll him and the doctor through the halls. Cellophane and Earphone Jack help Present Mic along, while Dabi follows like a nightmarish marionette. Hawks can see light through the occasional window, and at least once he spots a moving fire that could be Endeavor. He's still not sure if he's glad the man came here or not.
They round the final corner and the front doors come into view, bordered by narrow staircases on both sides. It looks like the gates of heaven to Hawks until he realizes that the doors are wedged shut. The remains of a huge clock and the slab of ceiling it was attached to have collapsed in front of the entrance. It's going to be tricky to navigate even if they abandon the gurneys.
"Where's our backup?" asks Creati, glancing up the left staircase.
"Might be stuck on one of the upper floors; this place is a mess. Some of the stairs over here are just gone," says Chargebolt, gesturing to the steps on the right.
Earphone Jack climbs as close as she can to the doors and plugs in her quirk. "I don't hear anything shifting, which means it's stable for now. I can't make any promises if there's another fight, though."
"Is there another way out?" asks Cellophane.
"Midnight's team came in through the roof," says Creati.
"If they're stuck than we probably can't reach the roof either. The other teams know where to look for us. It's better to wait for them than to move around," says Earphone Jack.
Dynamite shakes his head. "That'll take too long. I could –"
"Absolutely not!" "No way, man!" "You'll bring the whole thing down on us!"
Their argument is suddenly drowned out by a high-pitched screech. Present Mic chokes on a yelp and tears off his headphones. He must've busted his communicator. Through the ringing in his own ears, Hawks can just make out Eraserhead's garbled message: They have Tokoyami, Twice, and Shigaraki. They're coming here, and right now there's no way out. Hawks is starting to feel claustrophobic, like he's right back in the basement cell.
"Sounds like we better get to work," says Cellophane. He shoots a line of tape at the rubble and tugs, freeing the nearest loose stones. The others are quick to follow suit, except for Present Mic and Shinso, who keep an eye on the captives. The group is efficient now that they've decided on a course of action, but not as fast as the young Ingenium. Hawks hears the roar of engines before they've managed to make much more than a dent. Seconds later, an armored figure is whizzing past him.
"Ingenium, wait!" Creati shouts.
Ingenium skids to a stop just in front of them, narrowly avoiding a chunk of concrete. "Is everyone alright?"
Hawks barely registers the question; he only has eyes for the one cradled in Ingenium's arms. He pushes himself up, yet again ignoring the protests of his body. He's far more concerned with the blood staining Tokoyami's chest and smeared against Ingenium's armor.
"Tokoyami…" he says softly. His call is echoed far louder by Tokoyami's friends, and several stop their work on the door to crowd around him.
"I need to get him to the medics as soon as possible," says Ingenium.
"What happened?" Creati asks.
"Shigaraki punched that wound in his chest. As for the rest, I'm not sure," he replies.
"Stab wound to the lung with torn stitches," says Hawks. He tries to be clinical about it, but the words stick together in his throat and come out cracked. "Second- and third-degree burns, lacerations to the hands and-"
"Shut up, Hawks," Tokoyami groans.
The relief that floods Hawks nearly knocks him flat again. "Good to know you're still conscious, Tsukuyomi."
"A shame they haven't knocked you out," Tokoyami replies. Then his expression softens. "I'm glad you're alive."
"HEY!" Dynamite shouts. "What are you extras doing? We can all cry about it after we get the hell out of here!"
"He's right," says Creati. "We can't get distracted just because it's personal!"
She and the others rush back to the doors, but Dynamite lingers for a moment. He doesn't quite look at any of them when he speaks. "I knew it, by the way. I knew all along. There was no way some bitch ass serial killer could have taken you out."
With that, he goes back to the rocks, using small explosions to break up large slabs into chunks. Hawks smiles. "I told you they'd never give up."
"Of course not! We'll get you to safety in no time, especially now that we can work together," says Ingenium. He eyes the beds on either side of the hall, lingering warily on Hawks. "Tokoyami, I can get you out faster if I help clear the way, but I don't want to leave you…vulnerable."
"It's fine," Tokoyami replies. "There's nothing more he can do to me now."
"I'll watch over them," Present Mic rasps. Hawks scoots over as best he can, and Ingenium gently places Tokoyami on the gurney beside him. They're have to lie closer than they did when they were sharing a single blanket, yet Hawks feels like there are miles between them. Tokoyami angles himself away from Hawks and keeps his back to him.
Present Mic takes Tokoyami's hand between his, frowning at the cut across his palm and the scars on his fingers. "You really scared us there, Tokoyami."
The last word turns into a cough, and he releases Tokoyami's hand to turn aside. Tokoyami reaches after him. "Sir?"
The voice hero waves him off, and Hawks explains, "He and your friends captured Dabi."
He nods in the villain's direction. Dabi is still standing behind the doctor's gurney and staring into space. After all the trouble he gave them, it feels a little anti-climactic. It appears he and Hawks won't take each other out in that blaze of glory after all.
Movement behind Dabi catches his attention. It's Anima, moving quickly but cautiously down the hall once he recognizes the heroes at the end. Present Mic signs to him quickly and points at the door. Anima turns to what appears to be the air next to him and says, "Run back and let them know it's blocked off. I'll ask the rats where the thinnest layer is."
"Got it!" says the air. Hawks can just make out a pair of gloves, one giving them a thumbs up, floating back down the hall. There's a small procession at the end of it, including a small army of rats, Tentacole, Twice, Eraserhead, Shigaraki, and Miruko.
On the one hand, Hawks is ecstatic to see her. On the other, he's terrified, and that has almost nothing to do with the fact that he's been listening to her badmouth him in the news. Tokoyami forced him to reevaluate what it means to be friends, and he has no idea where that leaves him and Miruko. The fact that she willingly joined this team up with a bunch of high schoolers says a lot. She's either here to make sure he gets out alive, or to kill him herself. Probably both.
Miruko guides Shigaraki along with one hand on his shoulder and the other above the cuffs behind his back. Eraserhead is right behind her. His quirk isn't activated, but his eyes are burning a hole in the back of Shigaraki's skull, daring him to make one wrong move. Shigaraki himself looks worse for the wear, with plenty of fresh bruising and an obvious limp. He's smiling, however, and Hawks is 100% certain that he is not going to like whatever happens next. The feeling grows monumentally worse when Shigaraki spots them and makes eye contact.
"What a lovely going away party we've got here," says Shigaraki. "It's almost the whole family."
"Shut your mouth before I do it for you," Miruko snarls. She slams her foot against a piece of concrete that made it out of the main lobby, cracking it in half.
Creati steps away from the rubble to give the pros her report. She continues to remain remarkably composed in the face of the sneering leader of the League. "There should be enough space now to carry the wounded through. We sent Earphone Jack and Dynamite out already to protect the entrance. Endeavor's team are still fighting the last of the nomu. Ingenium might outrun them, and a few others could slip through first as a guard."
"No need," Eraserhead says. "Call off your monsters, Shigaraki, if you've truly surrendered."
"Oh, those aren't my monsters," says Shigaraki. "They only take orders from Dr. Ujiko and whoever he demands they follow. Dabi might have some influence on them, but he's looking a bit lost. Whose doing is that, by the way? I have to give them credit, he's not an easy one to catch off-guard."
Eraserhead ignores the question, never taking his eyes off Shigaraki. "How does Ujiko control the nomu?"
Shigaraki shrugs. "You'd have to ask him. Although, I think he's got some device that wakes them up and puts them to sleep. A small black box with switches."
Hawks frowns. Something isn't right here. High-end nomu like the one that accompanied Toga are not things that can be contained by the simple push of a button.
Eraserhead glances at his students. "Did you see anything like that when we found him?"
"We may have," says Tentacole. One of his many spare hands reaches for his pocket, only to pause when he ends up reaching through a bloody tear in his pants instead.
"I think I picked it up," Anima says. He wrestles with an over-stuffed belt pouch and manages to tug out exactly what Shigaraki described: a small black box with two switches and a glowing light. Tokoyami tenses beside him, and the two of them watch as the finale of their captivity unfolds.
Dabi's blank expression disappears, and he grabs Shinso by the throat with both hands, pinning him to the wall. The chain between his cuffs glows red-hot. Hawks wonders just how long he's been free of Shinso's quirk, biding his time. "I think you should give that to me before someone gets hurt. You don't know how to use it, and it'd be a real shame if you rescued one kid only to lose another."
Eraserhead's hair flies up, killing the embers between Dabi's fingers and Shinso's skin. "What do you expect to get out of this? You're surrounded by heroes, and the rest of your team are in handcuffs."
Dabi smirks. "Are you sure about that?"
Shigaraki lunges for Anima, his handcuffs already disintegrated in a few places to make them easy to break. Miruko grabs him, but he shoves her arms off with his bare hands, decaying her skin. Erasehead half-turns to help, but Shinso's yelp keeps him in place. He can't look in two different directions at once.
Invisible Girl and Ingenium rush to tackle Dabi. At the same time, Creati leaps into Shigaraki's path with a large shield. From behind her defense, Cellophane wraps the villain in tape and Chargebolt shoots a series of discs at him. It's not enough. The tape quickly falls to dust and Shigaraki dodges the discs before Chargebolt can activate his quirk. He slams into Creati and disintegrates her shield. Cellophane tugs her out of the way before she can face the same fate.
"Please."
The soft plea reaches Hawks over the clatter.
"Please," Tokoyami repeats. "I know you're tired, but please, please save them."
Hawks rises, ready to do whatever it takes to fulfill Tokoyami's request, only to see that Tokoyami is reaching away from him. The plea was never meant for Hawks.
"Come forth, SHADOW'S SHROUD!"
Rivulets of darkness pour from Tokoyami. They follow the shadows in the room, dividing and combining again like an interrupted stream. They reach Shigaraki seconds before he grabs Anima, coating those deadly hands in dark gloves. Anima and the others stare in wonder as Shigaraki grabs his face, only for nothing to happen.
Shigaraki bellows in frustration and throws Anima into the pile of rubble. He holds his hands up to the light streaming in through the broken doors and the shadows fall away as quickly as they came. He follows their path until his eyes land on the pair on the gurney, then linger above them. Shigaraki's smirk turns from fury to a vicious sort of glee, and Hawks remembers that everything around them is incredibly unstable. Shigaraki doesn't actually have to reach them to kill them.
Shigaraki lunges. Present Mic slams into his side, taking the villain down but also leaving him within an arm's reach of his true goal – the wall just beside them. As the stones begin to crack, Hawks wraps himself around Tokoyami and rolls them both off the side of the gurney, taking the brunt of the fall. They hit the floor with a chorus of ohfuckpain ringing through Hawks' broken bones and blistered skin, and he still manages to roll them beneath the bed. There's nothing he can do for the others but hope as the ceiling comes down around them.