Nightwing was still in his state of complete sadness, betrayal and grief when he heard sounds of fighting coming from outside the hallway, where there were Thanagarian guards, from where their cells were contained.

He walked forward and absentmindedly wrapped his fingers around the bars and he stretched his neck to see what the heck was going on out there.

Turning his gaze left and right the world's best acrobat noticed that the other heroes (excluding Martian Manhunter and Superman who were still aching from their respective weaknesses exposed to them) were also curious and suspicious of what was going on.

The sounds of fighting ceased within seconds and soon after the door was flung open revealing a very familiar figure to the Bludhaven vigilante that made his heart beat faster.

Nightwing's eyes went wide when he saw Shayera Hol and his whole body stiffened, his mind racing as it never had before.

Why was Shayera there?

And why had those fighting noises been heard?

"Who the hell are you?" asked Green Arrow confusedly, staring at the red-haired Thanagarian woman as if she had two heads.

"She is Shayera Hol aka the Thanagarian woman who betrayed us!" growled Wonder Woman fiercely staring at Shayera as if she wanted to have a fight to the death with the other woman.

Which was quite likely.

"What the hell are you doing here? Gloating and making fun of us because of your pettiness and how shitty a person you were to have betrayed us all?" scoffed Hal Jordan bitterly, casting her a disgusted and angry look.

Shayera kept her gaze impassive while internally she winced.

More than deserved.

"I came here to free you." she said calmly, taking a key from her belt and opening the nearest cell first, namely Aquaman's.

The king of Atlantis got up slowly but when he left the cell Shayera had already moved on to open other cells.

"We don't have much time before someone notices that the guards have been knocked out." declared Shayera opening Black Canary's cell and removing her gag, earning a grateful look from the blonde.

"Why should we trust you after what you did?" growled Batman taking a menacing step forward toward Shayera and resisting the urge to strangle her with his own hands.

Batman could never forget the hurt and broken look on his son's face when they had discovered that Shayera had betrayed them.

"You are right. You have no good reason why you should trust me." admitted Shayera as she continued to release the heroes. "But now I am your only chance of escape."

Wonder Woman as soon as she was released said nothing but she walked past her whispering: "Hurt him one more time and it will be the last thing you do."

The red-haired woman swallowed not because of the Amazon's threat but because she was already aware that she had hurt Nightwing but having it confirmed was a different story.

Shayera flew toward the last remaining cell and she hesitated briefly when she found herself staring directly at Nightwing. "Hi." she greeted shyly as she inserted the key into the cell lock.

The hero of Bludhaven merely nodded at her in greeting but he said nothing, continuing to stare at Shayera with a blank stare that was indecipherable to the woman.

I deserve much worse than the silent treatment.

When the cell was opened Nightwing walked past Shayera before stopping and without turning around he muttered a "thank you" before continuing on.

Despite herself, Shayera felt her lips twitch into a sad smile before flying toward the JLA heroes.

Fortunately, it seemed that Superman and Martian Manhunter looked better than before even though they were probably still not at their best. In addition, Shayera had also opened the collar that removed Flash's powers with great relief to the speedster.

"Follow me. I'll escort you to the room where they stored your things." said Shayera but before she could begin to lead them she was quickly interrupted.

"Who says you would not betray us a second time?" asked Zatanna putting her hands on her hips and looking grimly at her.

There were murmurs of agreement and everyone stared at Shayera with various looks of disgust, distrust, anger and betrayal.

Shayera knew that she deserved everything they would throw at her but this knowledge did not mean it hurt her any less.

Surprisingly to her assistance came the last person she could have ever expected to intervene.

"We have no choice but follow her."

Everyone turned to Nightwing, who had his arms crossed and a serious expression in stark contrast to his typically friendly personality.

It was a little frightening for Shayera to see Nightwing completely serious without any hint of playfulness or levity in him, and she felt like an even worse person for being the cause of Dick's change.

"Nightwing are you sure-" attempted Flash but he was quickly interrupted.

"Yes." abruptly interrupted him Nightwing, who walked past several heroes to exit the cell room with the others in tow.

They noticed four Thanagarians, the same ones who were watching, unconscious on the floor with several patches of blood on the floor. The heroes were momentarily stunned when they saw the beating the Thanagarians had taken but Nightwing was the first to awaken.

"Come on Shayera. Lead the way."

Shayera shuddered at the acrobat's emotionless tone of voice but she managed to nod anyway. "Follow me."

In a few minutes they reached a room, managing to avoid being seen by the other Thanagarians, and eventually they reached a locked room. Shayera took another key from her belt and she silently opened the door and they all entered and the redhead closed the door behind them.

The room was filled with weapons and Justice League items that the Thanagarians had taken: from Aquaman's trident to Wonder Woman's sword and lasso to Nightwing's and Batman's utility belts, etc., and the heroes rushed to re-equip themselves with them.

"What now?" asked Green Arrow after everyone had equipped themselves.

Shayera opened her mouth but she had no time to answer when suddenly the door to the room was smashed hard and it flew off almost hitting Martian Manhunter in the process and he narrowly dodged it.

The attention of all the heroes shifted to Hro Talak who walked menacingly into the room, few of his soldiers visible behind his back but it was very likely that there were many more Thanagarians out there.

Hro's gaze landed on Shayera and he growled. "I see you've made your choice." he affirmed, casually brandishing his mace.

Shayera nodded and she straightened her back. "The Earth does not deserve to be conquered and its inhabitants exploited."

"You have been swayed by their foolish nonsense." sighed the general, shaking his head in disappointment. He stared ahead and said only two words.

"Kill them."


Nightwing dodged a punch from an enemy soldier and he hit him with an escrima on the jaw and then immediately swept his legs. The Thanagarian fell to the ground with a pained grunt and the Bludhaven vigilante finished him off with a kick to the head before he could get up.

The first Robin kept a firm and tight grip on the escrima sticks and his masked eyes roamed the entire battle zone aka the entire prison.

It was literally a war and Dick was pretty sure that if they continued to fight so violently sooner or later the building would collapse.

But in the end he didn't care whether the building would collapse or not.

The only thing that mattered was defeating the Thanagarian army and sending them away from Earth.

Nightwing stiffened when he saw Batman surrounded by a dozen or so Thanagarians, and he ran toward his father. He made several forward flicks and with a momentum he leapt into the air, landed on the shoulders of an alien, with all his weight he knocked him abruptly to the ground as he jumped again performing a triple somersault and landing behind the Dark Knight just in time to ward off an enemy and, taking advantage of his surprise, finish him off with a violent roundhouse kick to the chin sending him flying away.

"Don't worry my princess: your valiant warrior is here to save your life!" joked Nightwing deftly twirling his escrima as he and his father stood back to back.

Batman grunted masking his amusement. "I see you're back to your old self." he said but they both knew that was a lie.

Nightwing's smile vanished immediately and he knew the Gotham vigilante knew it. "Let's kick these assholes' asses!" he growled eager to punch his opponents in the face.

Unhealthy coping attempt, he knew but could do nothing about it.

"Language." admonished him Batman and soon after the two vigilantes sprang into action against the Thanagarians.

Nightwing huffed as he kneed a soldier in the stomach. "Are you seriously scolding me for my language when we're in the middle of a fight against aliens who want to take over our planet?" he asked hitting his opponent with a right hook and then ducking under the sledgehammer blow of yet another.

Batman grunted a second time blocking the mace with both his arms and spinning around with a roundhouse kick that struck the Thanagarian's jaw. "Point one, it wouldn't be the first time." his son grunted in amusement. "And besides, Agent A would not approve."

"Man, you're right." said Nightwing jumping on top of a kick and he struck his enemy with his escrima: the first blow hit him full in the face and the Thanagarian's helmet slipped off while the second blow hit him directly in the skull and the alien fell motionless to the ground.

Batman moved toward his first Robin and he threw a pair of batarangs that hit a Thanagarian in the back of his son. The alien grunted in pain and he shifted his gaze just in time to be hit with a vicious uppercut from the Caped Crusader that sent him far away.

At the same time Nightwing leapt onto his father's shoulders and he used him as a springboard to launch himself. In midair he performed a quadruple somersault and with a kick hit the face of one Thanagarian and with an escrima hit the neck of another who fell to his knees before being finished off by a roundhouse kick to the temple from Batman.

The hero in black and blue landed easily on his feet and rolled to the side dodging a mace and the acrobat stretched out a foot hitting with a kick the kneecap of the Thanagarian who fell to the ground with a scream of pain.

The first Dynamic Duo continued to fight in perfect synchronicity for some more time until in front of them were a dozen or so Thanagarians on the ground all groaning in pain.

With a nod Nightwing began to move away but was stopped when his father put a hand on his shoulder.

"Go to her."

Nightwing stared at him in disbelief before nodding slowly and running off.


Shayera Hol ignored the insults that another Thanagarian was hurling at her in their native tongue, and she knocked him down with a vicious mace blow to the face.

She turned sharply and flew back, dodging Hro Talak's fist, and the two stared at each other for about ten seconds.

"You are a traitor!" spat the general venomously, fixing her with a disgusted, grim look. "You would rather help an alien planet than your home planet!"

"You're the one who disgusts me, Talak!" the use of his last name made Hro squint menacingly. "Killing and enslaving innocent people!"

"We have to do this to save Thanagar! Earth has resources and technologies that we do not have, and with them we will be able to save our planet!" retorted the general angrily.

"Your only goal is not only to save Thanagar but the conquest of Earth will also serve you to satisfy your most selfish desires! I will not allow you to get away with this!" growled Shayera, pointing her mace menacingly at him.

"You're not so innocent either, Hol." he smirked. "Do you think helping those pathetic heroes will get you back in their good graces? Poor deluded one."

Hro took a step forward while continuing to smile, and he continued.

"You betrayed them, Shayera. Do you really think they will welcome you back with open arms?"

Shayera did not let any emotion of sorrow or regret show in her voice. "I don't care what they think of me." was a lie and they both knew it. "The only thing that matters is to send you back to Thanagar and away from Earth!"

"And you?" Hro shook his head amused at the woman's confused look. "Do you really think you belong here? You are not like them, Hol. And the only chance you had to be accepted by them you threw away by breaking their trust."

Shayera froze in place, the general's words echoing in her mind.

He... he was right.

She did not belong on Earth and she could never do that, no matter how much she would like to.

What right did she have to remain on Earth after what she had done?

None.

Shayera felt her eyes tingle but she ignored this feeling. "The important thing is that you will leave Earth!" she said, cursing herself as her voice came out more shaky and wavering than she had intended.

Hro smiled. "You will have to return to Thanagar with us, Shayera. You have no choice." he emitted a low, dark laugh that sent chills down her spine. "And do you know what the punishment is for treason on Thanagar?"

"Death." she whispered, hating Hro's smirk.

The woman bit her lip and looked around, her eyes wandering throughout the fight before returning to Hro. "If I return to Thanagar without fighting," she swallowed heavily before continuing. "do I have your word that you will immediately withdraw the army and flee away from Earth?"

Hro looked around briefly before nodding slowly. "We are losing and by a lot. The Justice League is stronger than I thought. I underestimated it." he admitted. "So yes, surrender without a fight and we'll be off Earth in no time. You have my word."

Shayera studied Hro's face looking for any sign of a lie. When she found none she sighed and threw her mace to the ground, raising her hands in the air and crossing them behind her head.

Hro gave an evil smirk and he walked toward Shayera. When he was a few steps away from her suddenly a black and blue blur fell between the two of them and a hard kick hit Hro in the stomach who grunted in pain and he was forced back a few steps.

"Stay away from her."