Shayera struggled against her bonds and her gag, trying to get somebody to listen to her. She was framed, for Omar's sake! Surely they had to see it! Shayera looked around fearfully. It had been decided by the World Nation that they didn't want to jail her in any of Earth's prisons. The assassination of five World Leaders had shocked the entire planet Earth. The discovery of the hawk feathers and footage showing a winged woman entering the hotel through the roof was enough damning evidence to accuse Shayera of being the killer. It didn't help that said five leaders were known haters to Shayera after the Thanagarian Invasion and were known to be very outspoken against her rejoining the Justice League. Shayera had tried to explain to them that she spent the night in Midway's National Park, but with no alibi and no record of it she was forced into custody by Superman and Diana. Diana had a particular gleam in her eye that showed she was enjoying putting Shayera in chains. Shayera was put on trial but when it came to being the most hated being on the planet, Shayera didn't have the best defense lawyer and was tried on the same day. The League publicly disowned Shayera and refused to have anything to deal with her. This was the only time they acknowledged her, taking her to prison in the Quadrant sector. John and Superman were escorting her. She pleaded with them that she didn't do it, hoping they will believe her but John's stony silence and Superman's harsh "Shut up, traitor" was the final nail to her coffin. Shayera was given to the custody of the Kilquoy Prison. It would only be a week later when a prisoner transfer was made and she was given to the Gordanians. Shayera fought back with all her fury but was overwhelmed. She was used as entertainment: serving them their food, fighting in the arenas, and having to clean up their mess. Eventually though the Gordanians found true joy in making her bleed and suffer. It began with whippings but then it evolved to beating her with blunt objects and stabbing into her wings. Shayera suffered through everything, trying to fight back but eventually after the second year she stopped.

Shayera would often cry herself to sleep on most nights, cursing herself for ever thinking that she might have had a chance for redemption and to earn the other's trust back. Shayera lost count the days and months that rolled by, only ever recognizing when she was due for another beating or whipping. She had lost feeling of her wings days ago and was going blind, the clothes she had on her back the day she was transferred was rip to pieces, only a few pieces still stitched together to give her some modesty. It didn't provide her warmth however and if the beatings didn't kill her soon then the cold will.

Shayera awoke with a start, a red alarm sweeping across the building. Shayera was kept in the deepest part of the building, where the cells where cold and wet due to the water pipes. Shayera wondered why an alarm was going off and attempted to focus her vision. She noticed that her vision was slowly fading into blackness even with her eyes open. She mourned for her vision, knowing that eventually with all the beatings to the head that she was going to go blind, when she felt sleepy again. It was colder in the cells and while that would give her a good reason to stay awake, this time… she felt warm. What's going on? Shayera attempted to fight against her strange drowsiness but it has been so long since she last felt this warm. It was comforting and for once, she didn't feel fear or despair. She felt hopeful as she saw a light form outside her cell as her vision continued to blacken. Was someone perhaps coming for her? Shayera didn't know and didn't care as she felt herself close her eyes, her vision black except for the white light. She was warm, she wasn't on the jagged stone surface anymore and was instead floating in the air, and she no longer felt the pain and the soreness. Shayera watched as the light got bigger and almost cried in relief as she finally felt peace.

She spent the majority of her time in the prison cells cursing herself and her involvement of the invasion, convincing herself that all of the horrors and the beatings she was receiving were well deserved. She wished she had a different life, one where she wasn't a spy and could have spent eternity with John and their son Rex, but it was never meant to be. One of the beatings damaged her reproductive systems, her jailers finding pleasure in reminding her that she will never have a child of her own. Shayera hoped that John will find his happiness with Mari and mourned for her loss of Rex. Destiny apparently didn't want her to find her happiness in this world. Shayera watched as her black vision was surrounded by the white light and decided that perhaps in the next life, she will keep her peace and not screw up her chances of happiness.

The white light began to form a shape, a man with a peaceful smile offered his hand to her. Shayera was about to take it when the light began to recede. What was happening? The man gave her a pitying smile and said, "Good Luck."

Good luck for what? Shayera couldn't explain why the white light was receding and the peaceful man had told her good luck, but the peacefulness she felt earlier was going away and the pain and soreness was coming back. Shayera attempted to fight back to get the white light but it hurt. A whimper escaped her lips and distorted voices were soon heard. Shayera mourned the loss of the white light but was surprised when the white changed to green.

John rushed through space, hoping to be able to find the planet soon. Five years have passed since Shayera's sentencing and life moved on. He wished it didn't. His relationship with Mari ended two years after Shayera was sent away, their careers and priorities so vastly different that they both agreed that it would ruin their friendship and decided to stop seeing each other. She was with Vigilante, a pair that couldn't have worked any better and he was happy for them. Back on the matter at hand though, video evidence of Shayera's framing was discovered. Luthor and Brainiac had fooled the entire world by using the world's dislike and distrust for Shayera against them. John was cursing himself for not believing her, cursing the world for not giving Shayera the benefit of the doubt, and hatred towards Luthor and Brainiac. The evidence showed Luthor manufacturing a clone of Shayera to dispatch the world leaders and then vaporizing said clone in order to destroy any other outcome that said otherwise. Luthor's plan had been swift and unforeseen, which meant that people wouldn't have been able to make a connection and neither would the League.

"John!" said Batman through the comm-link.

"What? What do you want?" demanded John, irritated that Batman was distracting him.

"John you can't infiltrate a Gordanian prison planet by yourself!" said Superman, "That's suicide!"

"Waiting around for a plan is not going to help Shayera! Five years with those killers is enough! She never deserved to be there in the first place!" snarled John. He knew the others were behind him: the original founders. When it was revealed that Shayera had been framed, horror and guilt had spread through them. Batman in particular was feeling very off balanced. He should have investigated harder, probed deeper, actually trust people but his damn paranoia proved to be his downfall again. Superman hated the feeling he had when he realized that this was about the seventieth time Brianiac and Luthor had managed to trick him. He was especially guilty for not trusting Shayera. J'onn wished he could have read her mind and everything could have been avoided, but alas he will forever try to fix things between himself and Shayera: the only real aliens on the Justice League. Flash was silent, deep in his self-loathing that he couldn't believe he didn't trust Shayera in the moment that she needed him. She had pleaded with him to not believe the lies and he did it anyways. Diana was fighting with her guilt, her shame, and her own personal demon. She allowed her own feelings to blind her from the truth, the truth that showed that Shayera was innocent and that she should have defended her. Diana would willingly spend eternity in Hades Underworld if it meant receiving forgiveness from Shayera.

John had left the others behind in the Javelin, deeming their speed to be too slow in order to reach the Gordanian prison planet. When they went to bail Shayera out from the Kilquoy Prison, they were shocked that they had transferred Shayera to the Gordanians. It was an illegal transfer, one in which the Gordanians were known to holding illegal prison camps and keeping the prisoners as slave labor. After threatening the staff of the Kilquoy Prison with the wrath of the Green Lantern Corps, John flew ahead and left the others behind.

"John, you need to save your charge." said J'onn, hoping that with logic he could cool down the distraught Lantern. No dice as John replied back, "I have it fully charged and ready, stop trying to stop me!"

John saw the Prison Planet loom in the distance and was immediately met with the defense line. With so much going on, it was a wonder that John was even able to focus. His drive though to rescue Shayera from the Gordanians grasp gave him the will though to form an elaborate ship with his ring. He was able to push aside the laser beams and demolish the ships, ignoring everything else as he quickly rushed his constructed ship onto the planet. More laser beams tried to stop him, but John was able to use his ship's own cannons on the defense. By the time the rest of the League showed up, they were shocked to find that there was nothing to stop them. Gordanians were groaning left and right, too injured to try and stop the League from landing.

They walked out to see that the large prison was on fire with prisoners fleeing left and right, cheering for their freedom from the Gordanians. Batman followed he path of destruction as Superman and Flash attempted to help the injured, Diana and J'onn following after him. They entered the building to see scorch marks decorate the walls, whether it came from the Gordanians' weapons or from John, they couldn't tell. Yelling was heard in the distance and Batman, Diana, and J'onn quickly made their way over to the source and were shocked to see John beating a Gordanian jailer while he screamed at him questions.
"WHERE IS SHE? WHERE DID YOU PUT HER?" he roared. The Gordanian was groaning as each punch was delivered to his gut and face, unable to answer.

"JOHN STOP!" cried out Batman. Diana and J'onn quickly restrained John as Batman checked on the Gordanian.

"Keep… him… away." pleaded the Gordanian.

"I'll keep him away," said Batman, "If you tell us where you kept the Thanagarian."

The Gordanian seemed to hesitate but one look at John, who almost successfully broke free from Diana and J'onn, convinced him that it was better to cooperate. Batman, John, Diana, and J'onn followed the Gordanian as he led them deep into the prison facility. John's glowing green eyes seemed to illuminate the room and it frightened the Gordanian, pushing him to lead them to their target. John was getting angrier as they walked further into the building. The filth and grime that decorated the floors and walls made this part of the area almost uninhabitable. As they walked down the stairs, the air was getting more chilled and the floors were wet. They reached the bottom floor, the floors no longer smooth metal but jagged stone. The League looked into the cells, horrified to see bodies strewn about, some breathing with difficulty and some decomposing. Fear gripped into John's heart. What if Shayera was dead? What if it was too late? The others were having the same thoughts as they finally reached the cell. It was shut closed with solid steel. The Gordanian shakily took out his keys and opened the cell door, moving to the side quickly to avoid touching the Lantern.

John rushed in and was brought his knees as pain gripped his heart at the first sight of Shayera. She was covered in untreated wounds, infection visible from the surface. Deep lashed across her body showed the brutality she received from their whippings, her wings no longer full of feathers and instead were skeletal appendages. She was wearing the same prison garb she wore when they had turned her in, only a few pieces stitched together to provide some modesty but not much. Her eyes were swollen, her cheeks having scratch marks on them, while her hair was matted and knotted. John was about to reach a shaky hand towards her when Batman said, "She's not breathing."

True enough, she wasn't. She was dead still.

"NO!" cried out John. Rage, remorse, guilt, shame, and agony ripped through him like a knife. He angrily looked towards the Gordanian who whimpered in fear. He was surrounded by the green glow; the light completely engulfing him and making it appear as though he was wearing green armor. The Gordanian whimpered and cried out, "Please! She was alive just this morning! I had nothing to do with her being dead!"

"You beat her," said John, his voice going into an eerie calm, "You beat her, mutilated her and now the infection is killing her."
"PLEASE NO!" cried out the Gordanian as the emerald light slowly surrounded him and began to suffocate him. J'onn and Diana tried to stop John, but there was a reason why the Lantern Ring is called the most powerful weapon in the universe. John was basically untouchable.
"She's still warm!" came the voice of Batman, who checked on Shayera.
"What?" asked Diana.

"She's warm, which means there's a chance to save her!" explained Batman. He quickly took out his shock bracers, preparing to do an improvised defibrillation. John heard Batman and slowly released the Gordanian who passed out from the lack of oxygen. Diana and J'onn were relieved that the Gordanian was still alive and turned to see John provide more light in the room. Batman felt his heart racing, never having to perform a defibrillation on the spot and with his shock bracers. If it can save Shayera though, then it would be worth the slight heart attack he was having right now. He shocked Shayera once, counting to three and shocking her again. Five times it happened and John was about to lose faith and hope when a slight whimper of pain escaped Shayera's lips. John felt like he had a mountain get lifted from his chest and he was able to breathe properly again. He stepped closer to see Shayera breathe with difficulty before she opened her eyes slightly and they closed again. She was alive.

John knelt down next to her and carefully lifted her in his arms, feeling her open wounds and dried blood and infection on his arms. He noticed that her clothes were beginning to rip and was about to go search for a blanket to cover her up with when Batman handed him his cape. John gave Batman a grateful look to which Batman grimly nodded. After wrapping Shayera up with the blanket and making sure he was able to hear her breath, the League left the prison. Superman and Flash were waiting for them and they both felt their eyes widen in horror at the state Shayera was in.

"Shay?" whispered Flash, his heart breaking as he looked at Shayera. He had been afraid that Shayera would be awake when they met her again but here he was wishing her eyes were open and not looking like she was dead. Superman used his x-ray vision to see that she had broken bones that were set irregularly and informed Batman and J'onn. They League boarded the Javelin, Superman having called a nearby police faction from another planet to take care of the illegal prison and help the prisoners.

Batman had John place Shayera on the medical bed in the back of the Javelin while Diana steered the ship, her needing a distraction from all that had just transpired. To see Shayera in that state… it made Diana forget about whatever petty anger and grudge she held for Shayera. Shayera didn't deserve this. Shayera deserved more than this but Diana was terrified that in her state of anger and wanting for Shayera to receive the proper punishment that Diana might have taken away whatever chance at a life Shayera had. Flash was distraught, glancing back every now and then to see Batman and J'onn cleaning Shayera's wounds and inserting an IV to give her proper nutrients. Batman began to cut open under Shayera's eyes, the swollenness revealed to be pus formed under her skin.

As he drained the pus out, Batman was again blaming himself for the state she was in. He should have investigated harder and pushed himself to his limit, instead he put in half-effort because the evidence was convincing enough for him. He refused to look for alternative options and now an innocent woman is nearly dead and lost five years of her life in hell. Superman tried to convince himself that things will be better now that they have rescued Shayera. This wasn't just a League mission after all. The World Nation had basically commanded them while they were getting ready to get Shayera out of prison to bring Shayera to the World's Summit where she will receive an apology from not just the World Leaders but the world. After the evidence was revealed, Batman searched through the web to see many 'I hate Hawkgirl' blogsites get taken down immediately where only a handful are left now. The Metrotower received letters from people who wanted them to bail Hawkgirl out of prison and some of the more loyal fans of Hawkgirl, who defended her despite the evidence, volunteered to pay her out of prison. It was a truly moving gesture and Superman hoped that Shayera wouldn't be angry with them at least when she got better.

J'onn carefully cleaned away the infections on Shayera's wounds, stitching them up so they may heal properly. He listened to her breathing carefully to make sure that she was still alive and not in any pain. Her unconsciousness is making the process easy and it will be better if she stayed that way. J'onn sighed sadly as he stitched a large wound from her back. He had earlier used his phasing abilities to reset her bones and Shayera was on her way to being able to use her limbs again. She had open wounds on her shoulder blades, the back of her knees, and her lower back. It was obvious that the Gordanians had attempted to cripple Shayera and after quickly asking Superman to use his x-ray vision, he was happy that at least Shayera wasn't crippled from her beatings and whippings. Her wings though were a different story. He and Batman discussed amputating them when John, who had been watching them like a hawk, told them no. Her wings were closer to being a skeleton than actual appendages but while Batman drained the pus from Shayera's swollen eyes, J'onn was working slowly and steadily at repairing the nerves and arteries in her wings. By the time they reached the Watchtower, Shayera was at least healing when they boarded the hangar and was slowly on her way to recovery.

When the doors sealed heroes, heroines, technicians, engineers, nurses, and doctors all showed up to greet the team: all of them wondering what became of Hawkgirl, who had spent five years in prison. Mari and Vigilante were in the front as the hatch opened on the bottom of the Javelin the grim faces of Wonder Woman, Flash, and Superman were the first to be seen, giving everybody a taste of horror as they all thought that the wrongfully accused Thanagarian had died in her prison. J'onn stepped out next, ordering several of the doctors and nurses to get the surgery room ready and followed after them. Batman came out next without his cape and said, "Everybody, back to your jobs."

It was silent and one by one, they left until only Mari and Vigilante were left.
"I said-"

"I know what you said, but I need to see for myself that she is alive." said Mari, her voice shaking. She had been one of the firsts after Wonder Woman to refuse to listen to Shayera despite their budding friendship. Guilt had been eating away at her and she needed to see Shayera alive at least. Vigilante had also been one of the firsts and had even suggested at one point to clip her wings in order to prohibit her from escaping. It was a suggestion that now haunts him. John came out, carrying Shayera in his arms and Maria and Vigilante were horrified to see the number of stitches that covered Shayera's face and body. The state of her wings was horrific and they were folded carefully in a bandage tied tightly across her body. John's eyes were burning green, sending shivers up Mari and Vigilante's spines. He walked in the direction to the Medical Bay, Batman following after him.

John was terrified of holding Shayera. Was he holding her too tight? Too loose? What if he dropped her? Will using the Lantern Ring to carry her damage her stitches? He quickly made his way to the Medical Bay, ignoring the looks of the heroes and heroines who stayed behind in the hall in order to see Shayera. John prayed in his head that Shayera will properly recover from her ordeal. She managed to live five years of brutal punishments and it would have killed anyone else except for his angel. His angel? John would be lucky enough if she would even let him call her a friend to him. John set her down on the medical table where the doctors and J'onn immediately got to work on her in order to properly fix her nerves, her bones, and everything else. He sat down on a chair outside the surgery room, head in his hands and eyes crying tears. Tears of joy, relief, sadness, anger, and remorse all mixed in one. He prayed silently in his head that Shayera recovered 100%. If she didn't, he'll gladly kill himself.

Hey readers, so this is dark. I am surprised I even thought of this. Hopefully you guys liked it. I plan to update soon when I finish The Fury chapter for Commissioner Hol and Alpha-Epsilon chapter for Fragments. Thanks and please leave a review if you did like or if you would like some changes made. :) Thank you.