It had taken you no less than seven months to track her down. Through several torturous interrogations, bribes, and trades that all skirted or outright crossed the line of what was legal and ethical behavior for a hero, you had finally managed to find the lead you were looking for. An abandoned warehouse near the docks of the city you yourself lived in. That had been a gut punch. To think that all this time, she had been setting up her various operations and crime sprees right under your nose, in your home turf no less. Of course when you started recalling the most heinous of her crimes, they all did seem to happen eerily close to you. The bomb placed at the hospital you were born. The active shooter at your old school. The hostage situation at the bank you used to be a teller at all those years ago. You never understood what her motivation had been, you didn't really know who she was even. But the super villain known as 'Catena' had been not only a thorn in your side but a threat to all the innocents of the world. The hero association had chastised you severely for failing to capture such a dangerous criminal, but as a matter of precedent and pride you had insisted you be the one to bring her in. After several failed attempts, this would be your chance to finally settle the score.
You posted up against a wall, hoping not to attract attention as you slid across until you got to the windowed ceiling of the warehouse. The moon was full behind you, but you ensured to use a special stealth suit to prevent yourself from casting a shadow. You gazed downwards and found a group of men packaging a large amount of vials into briefcases. From your preliminary analysis, it appeared to be the new experimental drug 'arcana'. While letting this get into the wrong hands could be trouble, you knew that letting Catena escape would be even worse. You shifted your gaze upwards slightly towards a tinted-windowed office where you saw what looked like the lead henchmen carrying a case of the drug head inside. You sneak into the building via a back door and head towards the office. You raise your head over the edge and peer inside at the same man you saw before now a seizing mess on the floor with a needle in his stomach. The case laid on the ground before a long-nailed hand slowly picked it up and tucked it at it's side. A tall blonde woman wearing an oily bat-like mask in what would pass for bdsm gear leather clothing seemed to mutter something to the man before slowly walking towards the door. You prepare your stun gear silently as you wait for the door to open, but before it does, she stops. A deadly silence falls upon you before your instincts activate and you roll back towards to avoid a wall of lead making holes through the wall. She spotted you, but how?! The suit should have been flawless! You quickly take out a bullet proof shield as she runs out of the door and begins parkouring across the machinery in the factory to her minions confusion. Desperate to prevent her escape, you do the same while tossing out sleep grenades putting the henchmen to sleep. You narrowly avoid a chain swinging towards you as you jump after her and shift your weight to slightly alter course on a railing. The chase is long and tiring but just before she is able to escape to a waiting motorcycle you take advantage of the long hallway and cast a net large enough to cover an elephant at her. She is knocked to the ground by the impact and the suitcase goes flying. She has already begun melting her way through it with black ooze before your shoot her with a dart that immediately begins paralyzing her and temporarily nullifying her powers. Finally, you close the capture by launching your body onto hers and overpowering her in her weakened state. She struggles helplessly underneath you before press her face against the ground with your hand. "It's over Catena. Your reign of misery ends here."
She laughs mockingly at you in a distorted voice that grows more clear as the poison works it's way through her. "Oh my, captured by the" she says the following laden with disgust "He-ro. Tell me, do you really think you can stop me? Do you really have the heart to do what needs to be done?"
"After all the harm you've done? I'm pretty sure I'll manage to choke the life out of you long before any help gets here." You say confidently as you tighten your grip around her neck.
She simply laughs as much as she can as her airways begin to constrict. She says as mockingly as she can, "Then do it. But don't expect to see your beloved Delilah again if you do."
"What?!" You exclaim in surprise.
Her eyes widen in amusement as she continues, "Oh, did you really think she was dead? That was one of my sloppiest fake deaths and you fell for it so easily. I suppose love does cloud one's judgment She's still alive, he-ro."
Your heart sinks and you let go of her neck. As she tries to pull away, you grab her and slam her back down against the concrete floor. You lean down close to her face and glare into her eyes. "Where is she?!"
She seems to enjoy the fear in your eyes as she answers, "Don't worry, He-ro. She's closer than you think."
"Tell me!" You demand.
She looks up at you with pity in her eyes. "Do you really want to know? Could you handle the heartbreak?"
You are a bit disturbed by how genuine her normally monstrous voice is starting to sound.
"I'll give you a hint. It's a place you would never think to look." She coos with a knowing smirk.
"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" you shout before backhanding her face and sending her mask careening into a wall and cracking.
As her hair falls away from her face your blood runs ice cold as the dark realization dawns upon you. You realize that the super villain you are about to murder looks exactly like your supposedly dead girlfriend.
"No...no..." You whimper.
She giggles wickedly and reaches up to stroke your cheek. "I told you not to worry. Your beloved Delilah is safe and well." She then chuckles and adds, "So he-ro. What are you going to do now?"