AN: Just a quick trigger warning here to say that there is a mention of suicide up ahead, as well as some disrespect for the person who committed it - also we have some violence and murder - exercise caution and read only what you feel you can. Otherwise, enjoy!

Stars when you shine,

You know how I feel,

Scent of the pine,

You know how I feel,

Oh, freedom is mine,

And I know how I feel

Nova has something of a love/hate relationship with Dead Switch, but at the crux of their dynamic is a base layer of mutual respect, so when Nova asks the other woman to do something, she has no doubt that she will deliver. After all, Deborah Scott is a professional.

And deliver she does.

Not even two days after making the initial request at the Sidekicks Anonymous meeting, Nova watches as a duo of poorly disguised inmates hurry over to her enforced residence in Maximum Security and fiddle with the lock that opens the small hatch system embedded in the door. Nova glances uneasily in the direction of the camera that overlooks her box only to find it facing downwards and out of commission. A small, almost non-existent smile begins to take form on her lips. Slowly, she rises from the ground to approach the door, watching in subdued amazement as the two 'guards' fumble with a small item and finally manage to push it through the slot. Nova glides forwards to catch it before it can collide with the ground, hands trembling slightly with the expended effort.

"I'm Mannie, this is Zowie." Stage whispers one of the men outside her door. She can see them through the transparent material her box is made of as she presses against it and watches them struggle to close the hatch and talk to her at the same time. "When you see the boss lady, you tell her we did good. Tell her Mannie and Zowie did real good, yeah?" They eventually get the hatch closed and locked as it had been, turning to her in order to gauge how likely she is to follow through on their request.

Nova stares at them for a moment longer before breaking out into a beatific smile, the kind that aims to stun and daze with its potency. "Of course, boys. You've done very well." She takes a step back from the wall, bringing the potted plant lovingly to her cheek and turns her back on the Riddler goons she's already forgotten the names of. She pays no attention to them as they stumble away, focusing her entire attention on the precious little wonder she now holds within her grasp. Nova coos at the baby, delight sparking a heady warmth in her chest as she encourages it to grow - soft leaves caress her skin - the plant's stem curls around her wrist as it lengthens rapidly. Soon, the plant no longer requires the pot it was previously living in and settles itself up Nova's arm instead, tiny little flowers blossoming despite the vermillion cloud of noxious gas that spills into her cage as it always does. Nova pets at her new companion, digging her fingers into the soil as the plant abandons it, desperately soaking up all of the nutrients that remain there. She already feels herself getting stronger. It will take longer to get back enough strength due to the circumstances, but despite the dim lighting and the oppressive chemicals that saturate the air around her, Nova knows she can manage.

What she doesn't account for, however, is the occasional competence the security force at Arkham will sometimes exhibit. Nova is left alone with her new child for only a few blissful hours before a small team of guards approaches her cell, flashlights at the ready. It makes sense, she supposes, there must be a sudden blip in the footage from the camera that overlooks the area. Just my luck that these morons choose today of all days to do their jobs correctly.

She's glad that she'd thought to conceal the small plant pot amongst her bedding. The only problem she faces now is concealing the beautiful plant that encircles her arm from shoulder to wrist - the asylum staff had seen fit to replace her Arkham jumpsuit with a more revealing alternative after her transfer from the general holding cells. The sleeves and legs on the regular jumpsuit meant it was easy for her to hide little plants like this one that her puppet from back then had been smuggling to her. Because of this, Nova had been able to break out while fewer guards were in rotation one night and lay waste to the inhabitants of the cells that surround her own. The insignificant little bitches had been riling her up for weeks, bringing it all on themselves - she remembers the haze of her fury at the time well - it's what had allowed the guards to subdue her in the aftermath.

Nova adopts an air of nonchalance as they converge on the box, rising to her feet as the beams from their flashlights sweep the space around her. She makes an effort to settle into a kind of leaning stance as she does so, newly decorated arm angled slightly behind her - if she's lucky they'll assume that the small sliver of the plant they can see is just one of the vines embedded into her skin.

"Arms out at your sides, Caldwell. Come on." One of the pigs orders.

No such luck then.

Nova sneers, unnatural green eyes glowing in the darkness. "Make me." There are only four of them - if she can lure one or two inside with her she can split them off and deal with them separately rather than in a more formidable group.

"You got no idea how long I've been waiting for an excuse, you bitch - Matthews is dead because of you - couldn't get your voice out of his head, always telling him to do stuff, so he ended it all to get away from you." The guard she addresses falls for the bait easily, reaching for the electric baton on his belt as he nears the door. Not one of his colleagues tries to stop him, too busy glowering at her with the same hate. Nova tips her head back and laughs, delighting in the knowledge that this means her puppet is still finding ways to serve her from beyond the grave.

"Ah, yes. That was his name." She responds airily. "I'd completely forgotten."

This garners no verbal response but the door is now being unlocked a lot quicker than before. Finally, it swings open and the pig she had been taunting steps in, practically vibrating with rage. Nova simply smiles, remaining exactly where she stands in the centre of the cube. The bulky, reinforced door swings shut behind her target, his colleagues undoubtedly assuming that in her weak and dying state Nova poses little threat to the man who advances on her. How wrong they are.

He holds his baton out towards her as he inches closer, mouth twisted into an unattractive snarl. Nova tilts her head at him, long dark hair spilling out across the green-ish skin of her shoulder to hang at her side as she regards him. In her half leaning stance, this makes her look all the more inhuman, limbs seeming out of proportion in the dim lighting.

"Come on then, little man. Let us see your mighty revenge in action." She provokes, needing him to venture just a little closer before she can act.

It's enough. He lunges for her, baton at the ready as he does so - it really is a shame that he hasn't been paying attention - his colleagues haven't either. The beautiful little fledgling spout that had wrapped itself so lovingly around her arm has been slowly inching across the floor towards the intruder while Nova lends it a modicum of her strength to grow. As she provides distraction, it climbs up his uniform issue boot to loop around his shin just above it; it does this again and again until it has a strong enough hold on the man to move him. Nova smiles brilliantly, and abruptly the guard is yanked with enough force to lie him out on his back with an alarmed yell. She advances on him quickly, picking up the handle of the stun baton between thumb and forefinger before tossing it behind her in disgust. With his weapon out of reach, the guard begins to whimper, very softly - impossibly wide brown eyes never daring to leave her toxic green ones as she straddles him - Nova shushes him, green fingers caressing over the expanse of his cheek as if to comfort him. The guards outside are shouting, desperately fumbling with the door despite it being far too late.

"Please..." The guard beneath her pleads, voice slightly hushed with awe even as he begs for his life.

Nova grants him another one of her beauteous smiles, skirting her fingers along his jaw as she tips his head back. "In the end, you amount to nothing." The way she whispers it contrasts starkly with her actual words, tone suggesting she'd just told him that she loves him rather than the dark assurance that his life has meant nothing after all. He opens his mouth only to close it seconds later in shock, looking rather like a fish out of water.

She leans over her prey to press a kiss to his lips and the guards outside scream out in alarm, knowing full well what she's actually doing. Their ministrations with the complicated locking system that secure the door pick up in speed. Nova ignores them, completely unconcerned now that she's able to leech the nutrients from this man's body - he's choking now, the centre of his lips tinged an ominous dark green - his veins standing out starkly against his skin, a sure sign of the potency of the poison she's just forced into his system. Nova watches him as he dies, irritated by the amount of gurgling and struggling going on - he seems determined to go out as dramatically as possible - exerting all of his remaining energy into his final moments. It would be impressive if the sight wasn't so pathetic.

Finally, his struggle comes to an end, eyes rolling up into the back of his head. Nova snaps her attention up to the three guards on the outside of the box now, rising from her position crouched elegantly over the deceased so that she may wander over to the glass-clad polycarbonate wall that they're stood on the other side of. They've since aborted their frenzied mission to get the door open, simply stood there with mouths agape and chests heaving while she stares back at them from within the confines of her cage. They probably think they're safe with the door closed, keeping Nova trapped inside with the corpse she's just made of their friend. Speaking of which...

Nova circles back round to the guard on the floor, swiping up his ID badge and key card in its lanyard. He still has the keys to the door clutched rigidly in his hand, and Nova glances back to the guards outside with a vicious little smile when she spots them - catching a brief look at the horrified comprehension dawning on their faces. Unwilling to waste any more time, she snatches the keys up, wrenching his unmoving fingers open with violence and heads for the door.

It swings open as she approaches it.

Nobody stands on the other side, which means that whoever has set her free has done so remotely.

Nova looks up to the camera overhead - it's centered on her - little green light blinking steadily. She narrows her eyes slightly at the small black lens, sincerely wondering if Dead Switch has gone a step further and decided to just go ahead and let her out completely. It wouldn't be beyond her, Nova knows that, has heard and seen a lot of what Deborah Scott is capable of; especially when it comes to the best interests of The Riddler.

But there's something about what just happened that doesn't quite feel like Deborah - she doubts Dead Switch cares much for comedic timing after all - and if Deborah has the ability to make something happen she's not the type to needlessly hold onto it, either... she'd just do it. No, this is someone else. What use would The Riddler's right-hand woman have for a deal that culminates in herself and her boss being set free if she was able to access the means to do it anyway?

Nova takes her first few liberated steps from her prison and takes a moment to breathe the untainted air. It's nowhere near the relief she'd feel had she been stood outside, where the air is clearer and nature awaits her gentle guidance - but at least there is no pollution from traffic or smog from a nearby power plant here. She turns in the direction of the guards only to find that they've fled, their disappearing footfalls covered by the alarm that blares in the wake of what is, essentially, a pretty major breach in security. The sound is accompanied by an automated voice that calmly informs of instances of the same thing occurring in a rapidly increasing number of areas in the asylum. Whatever's happening is no accident, it seems.

Every single cell door in the section of Maximum Security she inhabits suddenly slide open all at once, Nova's neighbours taking the same small, slightly hesitant steps out of their homes that she had moments ago. Everybody pauses when the monitors suspended in regular intervals on the walls come to life, the sounds that play before an announcement from the Warden somehow audible over the alarm - which suddenly shuts off - just as the screens flicker to reveal The Joker's sinister visage grinning out at them.

"Congratulations, kiddies! Turns out there's been a mass error in the legalities of everyone's sentences and you're all free to go! Old Sharpie would love to have been here to deliver this wonderous news himself but I'm afraid he's a little... tied up at the moment. Indisposed, you could say - beaten black and blue." The inmates start to wander further from their cells, forming small crowds around the screens as Joker speaks. "Now, we do have a little bit of a pest problem. Bats are just flying around all over the place, swarming up air vents and whatnot... so if you happen to see one... exterminate it. Got it? I'll be having a little party later so feel free to celebrate and frolic violently around the island; just know that unless you've been approached by a spritely blonde sidekick with a list that's got your name on it... you ain't getting into the real party. Toodles!"

With that, the monitors cut from Joker's feed to the usual rotating image of the Arkham logo. There's a brief pause before all hell breaks loose - Nova turns her back on it, strolling towards the corridor that leads out to the Intensive Treatment Center at large. If she can just get to the Penitentiary building she'll be able to reunite with Poison Ivy, a concept which gets her vegetative heart thrumming in her chest.

Finally.

It's a new dawn,

It's a new day,

It's a new life - for me,

And I'm feeling good