Nightwing in March 2016

Nightwing discussed the status of Impulse and Speedy with Mal Duncan and Superboy. Mal believed that both would ultimately become the Team's responsibility. Nightwing disagreed with Mal's prognosis, but Superboy supported it. The Computer announced the arrival of Artemis via zeta tube. After pleasantries are exchanged, Nightwing briefed the newly-formed Gamma Squad on their latest mission. The Squad would guard the launch of the Earth-Mars Communications Satellite in Cape Canaveral, which might be a target of certain xenophobic parties. Nightwing would lead the squad himself, as he was peckish for a little action after running the Team for a year.

Nightwing and Artemis observed the press conference Carol Ferris and Martian Manhunter held from their vantage point atop a launch pad service structure. Nightwing instructed Miss Martian to establish their psychic link, and ordered an aerial sweep of the cape perimeter. To ensure maximum security coverage, he assigned Lagoon Boy to reconnoiter the water around the cape. About an hour until the launch, Nightwing thanked Artemis for assisting them on this mission, despite Wally's strident objections.

Lagoon Boy noticed an undersea missile platform left by the Manta-Flyer, and wanted to attack. Nightwing ordered him to wait for backup, but Lagoon Boy attacked in a fit of anger when Superboy called him a rookie. He feigned the presence of radio static to justify his actions, which did not fool Nightwing as this was impossible on a psychic link. Faced with a rampaging La'gaan, some Manta Troopers surfaced toward the beach to serve as a precautionary backup for destroying the launch.

Artemis and Nightwing zip-lined to the ground to intercept, but were pinned by heavy fire behind the launch blast wall. He ordered for cover fire from the Bio-Ship, but since Lagoon Boy forgot to pack rebreathers, Superboy took manual control of the vessel while Miss Martian went to support her boyfriend below.

Artemis saw an opportunity to vault the blast wall, but Nightwing pulled her back in time to avoid a laser blast. He chastised her psychically for trying to get herself killed. When Carol advanced the launch to two minutes, their situation became dire—they would be vaporized when the rocket launched. Artemis loosed a flare arrow to momentarily blind the Manta Troopers, whose helmets were designed to enhance underwater vision. The plan worked, and Nightwing and Artemis were able to vault the wall and attack the Manta Troopers directly.

Both heroes had defeated the Manta Troopers when Kaldur'ahm himself surfaced from the sea. He attacked Nightwing and Artemis, but paused to fire a last-ditch shoulder-mounted missile at the departing rocket. Artemis managed to destroy the missile with her rocket-propelled arrow. Enraged, Kaldur knocked Nightwing aside with water hammers, disarmed Artemis, and seemingly stabbed her through the chest with a water sword. In actuality he curved the sword around her side. Artemis then ingested a pill that placed her in a coma-like state.

Nightwing rushed to the fallen Artemis, and surreptitiously popped a blood squib on her chest to make it seem like she was stabbed through and through. After the rocket exploded thanks to an altitude bomb smuggled aboard by Black Manta, Kaldur'ahm ordered a retreat.

Nightwing started cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Artemis. After thirty compressions and two ventilations, during which Superboy detected no heartbeat from her, he declared her dead. Nightwing slumped to the ground in defeat.

Inside a warehouse, Nightwing reminisced about his past with Artemis, looking at the picture he took with her during her first day at Gotham Academy. He met up with Kaldur'ahm, Wally, and Artemis, and discussed the deception they perpetrated on the Team, the League, and the Light. Nightwing mused that their friends, who were in mourning, may never forgive them. He inquired about Aqualad's infiltration, which, although costly, had succeeded as well—Kaldur had been promoted.

Nightwing then gave Artemis a Glamour Charm coated with Zatanna's physiomorphic spell, which changed her voice and appearance to everyone except the four already present. As Artemis left with Aqualad to embark on her own deep cover mission, Nightwing remarked that the hard part of the infiltration was over. Wally disagreed—it would only get more dangerous from this point.

Nightwing was in the Mission Room along with Mal Duncan and Superboy. While Mal was explaining that Aquaman had "everyone" searching for Lagoon Boy and his captors, followed by threatening Aqualad after what he did to Artemis, Nightwing showed an expression of unease that the Team didn't know about his plan. He silently left the room, so when Superboy asked about the current status regarding the identification of the Light's new partner, he discovered his leader had left.

Blue Beetle and Impulse arrived in the Cave with an unknown tech that they took from Aqualad. Nightwing approached them and scolded them for bringing it back to the Cave. Nightwing scanned the tech, he realized what it was. Before he could defend himself, he was ambushed by Icicle Jr. and Tommy Terror. After Nightwing stood up, he was suddenly attacked, and cuffed up with an inhibitor collar, by Tigress. Kaldur'ahm arrived and put a stop on the fight and threatened them with the bomb that blew up Malina Island. Nightwing told Aqualad that he would regret it, he was then punched in the stomach, while receiving a flash drive with intel on Lagoon Boy's location. Nightwing watched how Kaldur left with the hostages: Impulse, Blue Beetle and Beast Boy. After Kaldur left, he blew up Mount Justice. While he initially gave Nightwing and Superboy time to get out, they got caught in the debris field. Fortunately, Nightwing, along with Superboy and Wolf, were saved by Sphere and was taken to shore by Mal Duncan.

In the Hall of Justice, Nightwing was recovering from the raid until he was approached by Wally. Nightwing explained behind the scenes of Kaldur's raid to give him intel of Lagoon Boy's location and that he had to blow up the Cave to get further into the Light. Wally was angry at him for taking such high risks and that he could have been killed. Nightwing tried to reassure Wally that it was alright and that was for the mission to stop the invasion. Wally then cast the suspicion on Kaldur for being a triple agent, which worried Nightwing.

Nightwing used the data drive's information to locate the next shipment of abductees, and sent Alpha Squad (Batgirl, Robin and Bumblebee) to infiltrate them. He followed in the Bio-Ship with Miss Martian and Wonder Girl. When the latter asked how he got his intel, he lied that he got it from Aquaman. They followed the Manta-Flyer with the abductees to an alien ship; once Nightwing received confirmation that Alpha Squad was on board the alien ship, he ordered them, and M'gann to make their moves.

Nightwing docked the Bio-Ship and stayed on board while other Team members boarded the alien ship. The captured Team members and abductees were freed but during the evacuation, a Reach enforcer locked the docking bay. Nightwing was trapped in the Bio-Ship with most of the abductees. Blue Beetle eventually arrived and opened the doors, allowing Barbara to hand a downed Bumblebee to Nightwing and tell him to get ready to fly once everyone is on board.

The Team was able to escape with the abductees and Nightwing congratulated everyone on a successful mission. He offered control of the Bio-Ship to M'gann but she did not respond, still dazed from the things she learned when she probed Aqualad's mind.