Big Game Hunter Conclusion




http://curia-dd.deviantart.com/art/Big-Game-Hunter-Conclusion-342331842

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*

* The helicopter descended slowly and quietly into the clearing. Once it had
landed, its three occupants exited and made their way towards the modest cabin
a hundred yards away. They were three of the best-known members of the
Injustice League: Lex Luthor, its leader; The Joker; and Cheetah.

"Do you think it's true?" Cheetah asked as they reached the door of the cabin.
"All three of them, really finished, forever?"

"Guess we're about to find out," Luthor replied as the door opened, and their
smiling host greeted them.

"Welcome to my humble abode," The Hunter said as he escorted them inside. He
led the three villains directly over to a wall, where three panels were
displayed prominently, with the heads of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Black
Canary. All three had similar expressions of shock and pleasure frozen
permanently on their beautiful faces.

"You did it," Luthor remarked as he walked up to the face of Supergirl. Joker
did the same with Canary, and Cheetah was giddy with excitement as she stood
before the head of her greatest adversary, Wonder Woman.

"Amazing!" Joker cackled as he ran his gloved hand around the mouth of Black
Canary. "She looks like ... was she ... ?"

"Yes, all three were decapitated precisely at their moment of climax," The
Hunter smiled. "I assume from your reactions that you approve completely?"

"Yess ... " Cheetah hissed, as she began to sniff. "That wonderful aroma ...
is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, dinner is ready, please follow me to the dining room. I hope you brought
a hearty appetite!"

As the three villains followed him into the spacious dining room, their mouths
dropped in amazement. Centered on the table, still steaming from having just
come from the oven, was the cooked body of Black Canary, trussed exactly like
a traditional Thanksgiving turkey. There were four plates set out around the
table, each adorned with the Wonder Woman logo, and in the center of each
plate was a thinly cut, meaty steak. Next to each plate was a bowl, with
Supergirl's logo, and each bowl was filled with a hearty meat-and-vegetable
soup. There was also a large bowl of mashed potatoes, a smaller bowl with
cranberry sauce, and a basket of hot rolls. A large cruet of gravy also bore
the Amazing Amazon's likeness.

"What an amazing display, Hunter," Luthor remarked, unable to hide his
admiration. "You have truly outdone yourself!" They all sat down at the table.

"Thank you. The plates and bowls were quite easy to procure, really - those
two do-gooders have quite the merchandising lines. I do enjoy the irony of
eating Wonder Woman right off of her own plate ... and the gravy is made from
her, as well."

"Hey, if this is Thanksgiving, shouldn't there be stuffing?" Cheetah asked.

"Of course," The Hunter replied, as he stood up and picked up a large carving
knife and fork. He slid the fork into the chest of the heroine formerly known
as Black Canary, just above her breastbone, and then smoothly sliced down her
stomach, opening it up completely, and revealing the delicious stuffing
inside.

"Glorious!" Joker exclaimed. "Dibs on one of those delicious breasts!"

The others laughed as Hunter deftly reached over and sliced away the right
breast of the cooked songbird, sliding it onto Joker's plate. "I think you'll
find that meat prepared immediately, while it is still fresh, has a taste
unlike anything you've ever had before. I've cooked a lot of game before, and
I do believe the combination of spices and seasonings I used on this bird
bring out its flavor completely."

"Mmm ... " Cheetah mumbled blissfully as she chewed on a piece of the former
Amazon Princess. "How long I have dreamed for a moment like this ... "

"Maybe you wanted it too much, dear Cheetah. I treated the hunt of these three
with the same professional detachment as any other game I've bagged. I study
my prey, learn its tendencies, and devise an appropriate trap to snare it.
Your assistance, Luthor, in getting me the green kryptonite, was most
appreciated. With such an obvious weakness, Supergirl was probably the catch I
got the least enjoyment from. She was young and brash and thought she was
invincible ... and if I had given her time to figure out what was going on, I
wouldn't have stood a chance against her might and powers. I had to act
quickly, take her down with the kryptonite, once I did it was all over for
her."

Luthor nodded in approval as Joker stopped gnawing on his Canary breast for a
moment. "And the delicious Black Canary, did you enjoy bagging her a little
more?"

"Quite a bit. While she was the least powerful by far of the three, she was
also the most intelligent, comparatively speaking. I must confess I knew the
least about her when I started. Again, Luthor, your assistance with the
sonic-reflecting cage was most helpful. That scream of hers can be quite
nasty, I hear ... Anyhow, it was quite a challenge to figure out how I was
going to trap her. In the end, I realized I could use Wonder Woman's lasso on
her, the one thing her scream couldn't break ... "

"Ahhh, yes," Cheetah purred, "so you had to capture Wonder Woman first ... "

"Oh, yes." The Hunter grinned widely. "That was the ultimate prize. I've had
my eye on her for years, you see. All these women looking up to her, believing
they could be strong and tough and man's equal, or better ... and don't even
get me started on all her animal-rights crap. Throw in her arrogant,
I'm-better-than-you attitude, and it was only a matter of time before her head
was going to end up on my wall, with or without suitable compensation."

"But how did you do it?" Cheetah asked. "I've tried every way I know to get
rid of that annoying pest ... "

"Well, you see, I have one advantage over you there. I'm a man. And as you
surely know, if her bracelets are bound together by a man, her powers
disappear. I knew that was the way I had to defeat her, it was just a matter
of figuring out how." He reached behind him and picked up two objects from the
shelf behind him. "These I made myself. One end of each of these bullets has a
rubberized adhesive, that will stick to any surface, and the harder the impact
the stronger the bond it makes with whatever it hits ... the other end of each
is a magnet, one is positive, and one is negative. All I had to do was shoot
one at each of her bracelets ... "

"Glorious!" the Joker exclaimed again. "That's how you forced her bracelets
together!"

"Well, not quite," the Hunter smiled as he continued. "I figured her strength
might be enough to keep the magnets apart, at least long enough for her to
escape, if indeed she had tried. That's where the tree trunk came in ... she
saw it in front of her and thought she could use it to keep her bracelets from
touching, just by keeping one on either side ... never thinking that the trunk
would be coated with slick olive oil ... in an instant, not only were her
bracelets stuck together, but she was trapped around the trunk."

"The powerful Wonder Woman, captured by a tree trunk! Serves the stupid bimbo
right ... " Luthor laughed. "You make it sound so simple, I am embarrassed I
never thought of it myself."

"Ridiculously simple. All that god-given strength and speed and power, and in
the end it did her no good at all. The look on that broad's face when she
realized I had her, I'll never forget it. Would you like to see for
yourselves?"

"Yes," they all chimed as they continued to eat. A large screen descended from
the wall and a video began to play on it. They watched the capture of Wonder
Woman from beginning to end as they finished their Thanksgiving feast.

Just as the Hunter was starting to clear the table, and his guests were
looking around the rest of the cabin, an alarm sounded. "What's that?" Cheetah
asked.

"Oh, I imagine it's the rest of the Justice League bimbos, on their way here
to try and take me down," the Hunter replied calmly as he aimed a remote at
the screen, changing it to a satellite view. "I have trackers locked on the
frequency of their communicators, so I know exactly where they each are at any
moment."

"We didn't come here for a battle, Hunter ... " Luthor said. "This wasn't part
of the deal ... "

"Not to worry, you three are welcome to pull up a chair and watch as I bag
them." He strapped on a large quiver of arrows and picked up a large compound
bow. "This was fully expected. I welcome the challenge of hunting multiple
targets." He looked at the screen, there were seven blips on it, approaching
their position; four of them were coming through the air, and three on the
ground, at varying speeds.

"It's showtime," he announced. "My arrows have camera trackers in them as
well, so you'll be able to watch each one of them go down. Enjoy!" And with
that, he headed out the door.

The three villains looked at each other in amazement. "Well, the lad doesn't
lack for confidence, does he?" the Joker remarked.

"After what I saw him do to Wonder Woman, and the other two, nothing he does
is going to surprise me," Luthor replied. "He was worth every penny. Just
knowing I'm never going to have to suffer the humiliation of being bested by a
female ever again ... " he chuckled as he noticed Cheetah's glare at him, "no
amount of money in the world can replace that!"

Hawkgirl was the first to arrive in the forest. Her mace held high as she
flew, she was watching everything around her intently. Huntress had warned her
to be extra cautious, as they still had no clue what, or whom, they were up
against. She soared through the trees, closing in on the signal of the three
communicators.

As she dove under a large tree branch, she saw an arrow heading straight for
her. Instinctively, she dove down to avoid it, never seeing the second arrow
coming, a few feet below the first. It pierced her chest, straight through her
heart.

"Aaaahhhhh!!!!" the Thanagarian heroine screamed as she dropped from the sky
like a rock. She was dead before she hit the ground.

A minute later, her body was over the Hunter's shoulder as he carried his kill
to the cabin, depositing it on the ground a few feet from the door. Then he
headed back into the forest to await his next victim.

"One down," Cheetah breathed as the three villains watched the screen in glee.

Stargirl had been following Hawkgirl as she flew into the forest. The young
heroine held her Cosmic Staff by her side as she began to descend into the
tall trees. Just then, she heard a horrible scream from below her.

"Hawkgirl!" she screamed. "Hang on, I'm coming!" Stargirl flew towards the
sound of the scream, but when she got to where she thought it had originated,
there was nothing. "Hawkgirl! Where are you?" she shouted as she landed on a
thick branch about halfway up one of the largest trees.

She heard a high pitched whizzing sound, and as she looked below her, an arrow
hit and pierced her right hand, causing her to lose her grip on her staff.
"Aaaaaahhhh!!!" the star-spangled blonde cried out, grabbing at her right hand
with her left. She looked down quickly to see where her staff had landed, but
she couldn't see it at all.

"Looking for this?" a male voice asked. Stargirl turned around quickly. Her
staff was pointed directly at her chest - she had no time to react as The
Hunter directed an energy blast into her, knocking her out. Her feet slipped
off the edge of the branch, and she would have fallen to her death had not the
Hunter grabbed her cape in time. He held her by it as he quickly descended
from the tree, making his way towards the spot where Hawkgirl's body lay.

He tossed the heroine's energy staff aside as she began to stir. His hand let
go of her cape and quickly grabbed her under her chin instead, holding her up
in the air as his other hand reached into his boot for a knife.

"Wh-who are you ... " Stargirl mumbled weakly. He slid the knife under her
skirt, the point just penetrating her shorts.

"The last person you're ever going to see," he replied, as he suddenly thrust
the long knife upwards, destroying her vagina as he filleted her from the
inside out. Her eyes rolled back as blood gurgled from her lips, and death
came swiftly. He tossed her on top of Hawkgirl, slid the knife back into his
boot, and pulled out a tracking device. Two blips were heading his way.

"He's good," the Joker whispered in awe from inside the cabin.

Fire and Ice were the next heroines to arrive at the edge of the forest. Fire
flew in from the west, and Ice from the east; due to their polar opposite
metabolisms and powers, they could hurt each other if they flew in close
proximity. From opposite sides, they both emerged into a clearing, the same
one that the helicopter carrying the Injustice League had landed in.

In the center of the clearing stood the Hunter, bow in hand, arrows cocked.
Before either heroine had a chance to use her powers, two arrows were in the
air, one heading at each heroine. Both heroines were able to avoid the
oncoming missiles but just barely, by backing up into the trees. They looked
down to see the Hunter running away from them, out of the clearing. They both
got their bearings again and swooped down after him - Fire was hurling
fireballs in his direction, and Ice was throwing her trademark icy daggers
from her hands, but somehow the Hunter was able to use the trees to shield
himself from their barrage as he ran. The forest opened up again, into a
smaller clearing, and the two heroines flew in.

"Where did he go ... ?" Fire exclaimed. There was no sign of the Hunter, just
two large drums sitting on the ground, about four feet across and four feet
tall, and maybe thirty yards apart.

"He must be hiding in one of these, Fire," Ice replied. "You take the one over
there, and I'll take this one ... " And the unsuspecting heroines flew down
and simultaneously removed the lids covering the drums ...

The moment Fire removed the lid from the drum, a blast of icy cold air hit
her. "Uuuunnnnhhhh ... " she gasped as the sudden chill ripped through her
body, disorienting her, and before she could recover, she fell into the drum.
Ice was experiencing a similar fate as a hot steam enveloped her from the drum
on the other side. A moment later, the Hunter emerged from the other side of
the clearing and slid the lids back over the drums, sealing their fates
inside.

"He knew they were coming," Luthor remarked. "He planned for everything."

"Hawkgirl, come in," Huntress pleaded as she tried to raise the winged heroine
on her communicator. "Stargirl, come in ... Fire ... Ice ... " But there was
dead silence.

Helena parked her bike at the edge of the forest. Zatanna was on the back, and
she slid off first, looking around the forest as Huntress tried once again to
raise the four missing heroines.

Vixen was in cheetah mode as she ran behind and caught up to them, turning
back into her normal form. "So, what's the plan, Helena?" she breathed.

"All four of them are missing, I can't raise any of them. This forest, it must
be some kind of heroine Bermuda Triangle ... !"

"Maybe I can figure out where they are," Zatanna said, "I'll use a locator
spell." And closed her eyes, and spoke the words, "Laever eht srehto!"

Huntress and Vixen watched the magician as she concentrated, allowing the
knowledge of the missing heroines' locations to come to her. Her face took on
a white color as she opened her eyes in terror.

"They're dead," she gasped. "They're all ... dead ... !"

"How ... " Helena mouthed in shock ... "can you tell how ... ?"

"There's a man in the forest ... a ... hunter ... he's ... hunting us ... "

"One man?" Huntress and Vixen both responded in amazement. "That's ...
impossible!"

"We have to get out of here ... he won't stop ... until every one of us is ...
dead ... "

"No way," Huntress barked, "no way I'm leaving till we find him ... !"

"I don't think ... that's going to be a problem ... " Zatanna replied, her
face still pale.

"What do you mean?" Vixen asked.

"He ... found us - ohh!" the magician gasped, as an arrow pierced her throat,
severing her vocal cords, making it impossible for her to utter a single
spell.

"Zatanna!" Vixen screamed, as she rushed towards her.

"Vixen, watch out!" Helena shouted, but it was too late, as a second arrow
split the dark-skinned heroine's breasts, piercing her heart, and pinning her
body to a nearby tree.

"No!" Helena screamed as she pulled out her crossbow and raced into the
forest.

"It's just not fair," Cheetah laughed, as the villains watched the Hunter, as
he coolly dispatched heroine after heroine. "I'd almost feel bad for the
helpless do-gooders if they hadn't been such pains in our asses for so long
... "

Helena ran into the forest, determined to find this Hunter before he found
her. As a child, she had watched her parents murdered right in front of her
eyes, while she hid in a closet, helpless to do anything about it. The same
feelings were there again, but this time, she told herself, things were going
to be different. She picked up the sound of an arrow leaving a bow and swiftly
ducked behind a large tree as it sailed past, then she reached around the tree
and let fly an arrow of her own from her crossbow.

There was no sound, nothing. The forest had gone deathly silent. Then, without
warning, another arrow flew, this time from the opposite direction, and she
barely moved in time as it grazed her shoulder and slammed into the tree.

'He's tracking me, he knows where I am,' she thought, and then it hit her. The
communicator, it had to be what he was tracking! She started to run again,
zigzagging through the trees, then, she pulled her communicator out of her
ear, tossed it as hard as she could in the direction she had been running, and
took off in the opposite direction. She ran about 100 yards and then stopped,
finding a large tree for cover, and waited. Sure enough, she heard soft
footsteps passing by her, heading in the direction of her communicator. She
knew this might be her one and only chance.

In a flash, the Huntress shot out from behind the tree, flipping through the
air with grace, and landed right behind the Hunter's back. Her crossbow was
pressed into his neck.

"Ah, the Huntress," he coolly remarked. "At last, we meet."

"Don't move, asshole," Helena scowled as she pressed the arrow into his neck
with a bit more force. "I could kill you right now."

"Then why don't you? What are you waiting for?" he asked. "This is the point
of the hunt ... "

"Because, I want to know why. Why, why did you kill all of my friends? Some
kind of perverted, twisted idea of sport? Money? Revenge? What is it? Tell me
right now or I'll make your last breaths so painful you'll wish you were
already dead!"

"Because I can," was his simple reply. "I'm a hunter, it's what I do, I hunt
things. I've never done anything else. I live it, I breathe it, I love it.
Your pathetic heroine friends were just the next progression in my life's
work."

"You ... animal!" was all Helena could muster. She pressed the arrow hard
enough into his neck that it drew a bit of blood.

"Wonder Twit was the one who started it all, really, she came barging onto my
private property. As a matter of fact, all of you are guilty of trespassing. I
just did what anyone else would do - I defended my land from unwanted
visitors. I even warned her to leave, but that stubborn, arrogant, stupid
bitch just didn't get it ... "

"You monster! I'll kill you!" Helena's rage was boiling over as she started to
press the trigger. But in that instant, his arm flew back as he turned, and he
knocked her off of him, and back against a tree. His other hand quickly
reached for his bow. But before he could nock an arrow, she acted, and an
arrow of her own ripped into his right hand.

"UUHHH!!" he grimaced as he twisted his right arm in pain. His left hand
reached down for his knife, but she was faster, and a second arrow sliced
through his left hand.

"UUUUHHHH!!" he groaned as he started to back away from her, blood running
down both of his hands. Helena cocked the crossbow and stared him down as she
stalked after him.

"I could kill you. I should kill you. But death's too good for you ... A
friend of mine told me that once." She backed him up against a tree, again
pressing the arrow into his throat. Surreptitiously, her left hand reached for
a blackjack. "Maybe I'll do it anyway. Even if it won't bring them back. One
less monster I have to share my oxygen with." She started to slowly pull the
trigger.

His expression changed, and he started to laugh. "I knew it, you're just like
me. You get such a thrill from the hunt and the kill. You take what you want,
without answering to anyone. Kill me and become me, Huntress, I know you want
to, I know you can't stop yourself, your anger controls you ... "

"THWACK!" came the blackjack to the side of his head, and he slumped to the
earth, unconscious.

"I'm not you. I could NEVER be you! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!"

" ... never ... never ... never ... never ... "

"Helena, wake up, wake up ... "

Huntress slowly rolled her eyes open. She gasped. "D-Diana ... ?"

"Yes?" Wonder Woman replied. "You seem surprised to see me? You look like
you've seen a ghost?"

"Diana ... oh my god ... what happened ... "

"You had a dream, Helena, it was all a dream. And a test ... it was all
Batman's idea."

"A ... test ... I don't understand ... " Helena sat up in the bed. It had felt
so real ...

"Yes, a few of us have been campaigning to give you a second chance in the
League. Batman was adamant that we had to be sure you could control your anger
in the heat of battle, and not kill ... so he came up with this idea, to feed
you a dream scenario, and monitor your response. He and Ollie and John have
been in there all night, 'watching' your dream. They wouldn't tell me any
details, other than that you passed the test." Diana smiled. "Congratulations
Helena!"

Helena shook her head. "I was sure it was real ... he had killed you all ... I
was going to kill him ... "

"But you didn't. That was the test ... so, welcome back!" Diana gave her
friend a hug. "Get dressed and come down, there's a lot of other people that
want to see you ... !"

"Umm ... okay ... " Helena mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

As Diana walked out, she passed by the room where Batman, Green Lantern, and
Green Arrow were still sitting, talking about the 'dream test' they had just
administered. As she walked past the window, she saw them look at her and
snicker a bit.

She poked her head in the door. "What? What are you laughing at ... ?"

THE END