A/N: Here we are! It's our hero Zack, versus the leader of an organization that exploits women known as the Ron. Can he win? On with it!
Zack glared the man he assumed was the Ron. He was definitely tall. Definitely had a few inches more on Zack than the pilot had assumed. "So you're the bastard who kidnapped Elly."
"No, no," replied the Ron. "More like acquired. Business is business. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to make money. Money is what makes the world turn round and round."
"You're sick!" said Zack right back. "You treat people like objects that make you money. You place no value on life whatsoever. Once NERV gets up here, you are FINISHED!"
The Ron just chuckled. "I must contradict you however." He took out a remote and clicked the button. Where the door used to be was suddenly replaced by a thick blast door. "This whole room is now completely blast proof. Once I eliminate you, the girl will be my ticket to freedom."
Zack took a few steps away from Elly and moved towards the Ron. "Elly, stay back." She obeyed, and backed into the corner.
"Please be careful," she said.
"Count on it." Zack continued to move closer. "This shouldn't take too long."
"I agree," replied the Ron. He threw something at Zack. Zack of course flinched at whatever it was. He felt something click on his wrist. It was some sort of bracelet.
"What's with the bracelet?" asked Zack.
"I see the connection between you two," said the Ron. "This just makes it more physical."
"Explain yourself!" the Sixth Child shouted.
"It's very simple. The bracelet you wear and the collar she wears share an attachment."
Elly checked around her neck. There was definitely a collar of sorts around her neck. It was strange that she hadn't noticed it before. She tried but it wouldn't come off. "What the fuck did you do?"
The Ron began to explain. "It's simple really. Each time your boyfriend gets hurt, you will get electrocuted. How much electricity can you handle?"
Elly now knew the true scale of the danger she and Zack were now in. If Zack gets hurt, she would feel it too. And she knew she would not last as long as Zack could.
The Ron figured he had the two right where he wanted them. "So boy, if you turn the girl over to me, I will guarantee her life and yours. Do we have a deal?"
Zack's face became more confident than before. "I think you've underestimated the will of EVA pilots. We can handle more than you think." Zack shifted into a battle stance. "We're both going home, and there's nothing you can do about it. You're going down!" He then looked at Elly. "Are you ready? You know what may happen."
Elly gave Zack the same look. "Go for it Zack!"
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By now, Section 2 had mowed down all the guards and pimps that had stood in their way, and were tending to the injured bystanders.
Misato and Ivana were heading upstairs. On their way up, Misato and Ivana exchanged a few words.
"So what were you two doing here?" Misato had asked.
"It was Zack's idea," replied Ivana. "And I wasn't about to let that idiot go by himself Besides, I gave him all the weapons he has right now."
"I knew you had weapons all along!" said her guardian. "But I wish you didn't put yourself in this kind of danger."
"It's amazing what love can do to one's mind. In Zack's case, it turned him into a blind fool."
They came up to a door. It was a blast door. "Zack must be in there," said Misato.
"We can't get in," said Ivana. "He's all alone in there."
"Dammit!" yelled Misato. "That jerk is gonna get himself and Elly killed and we can't do a thing about it!"
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Gendo Ikari's Office
Gendo and Kozou were watching on the Rogers TV the events that were going on with great interest.
"So, now it has come down to a one-on-one fight between Harper and the Ron," said Gendo.
"But shouldn't we intervene? This could be bad for Zack and Elly!" said Fuyutski. "She could be killed if Zack takes too many hits!"
"That is true," said Gendo. "But this is rather… interesting. It would bolster the Sixth Child's morale should he be able to do this himself.
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Inside (MORTAL KOMBAT!)
Zack was fully confident in his abilities. He was ready for this. "I hope you're ready Mr. Ron. I'll show you the true power of my self-taught martial arts! The art known only by a few as Z-itsu! Not even my sparring partner has seen what you're about to see."
The Ron cracked his knuckles. "Well it isn't everyday I get to take care of an adversary personally. I'm going to enjoy this." He also took a battle stance. "Are you ready?"
Zack didn't answer. He charged! Once he was within striking distance he suddenly left his feet to deliver three tornado kicks without touching the ground. The Ron was caught by surprise by the viciousness of Zack's assault. But was still able to block the six lethal kicks Zack had outputted.
The Ron then delivered his own flurry of assaults. To Zack's surprise, he realized he would have to stay on the ropes. Because he guessed that any hit he took, even a block, could cause harm to Elly. So now he had the nearly impossible task of swaying out of the way of his attacks.
Zack managed to sidestep the Ron and attempted to deliver a chop to his back. But the Ron got around Zack and kicked him in the back.
Zack hit the floor, slightly dazed. Suddenly he heard a girl scream in pain. He remembered what the Ron said. For every hit he took, Elly would get electrocuted. "Elly!"
"I-I-I'm f-fine," said Elly. She was obviously in pain. "J-just g-get him."
Zack got back up. "You bastard!" He attacked again.
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Misato's Apartment
Rei had cooked a wonderful dinner. Once Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and Pen-Pen were finished eating dinner, and after making an extra bowl each for Zack, Ivana, and Elly, they turned on the news. Shinji was at the moment in the kitchen making milkshakes for the three.
The news had reported that NERV was investigating suspicious activity at a building in the downtown district of Tokyo-3. And apparently, there were eyewitnesses reporting an explosion, followed by a lot of gunfire. The gunfire had stopped for the moment, but NERV is telling people to stay back.
"Great, what did Casanova do?" said Asuka. "He's causing trouble wherever he goes."
"He is likely the one that started the shooting," said Rei.
"Shinji! How long does it take to make a milkshake? Hurry up!" yelled Asuka into the kitchen.
"I'm going as fast as I can," came the reply from the kitchen. "When was the last time Misato used the blender? I swear, she's gonna wreck this thing the way it's so battered."
"Damn Misato!" said Asuka. "If Shinji never moved in, this place would be declared unsanitary for living conditions."
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Zack wasn't too sure how well his self-taught martial arts were doing so far, as he ducked a kick and backpedaled from a punch. 'Why hasn't NERV intervened yet?' Then it hit him. 'Maybe they want me to do this alone,' he concluded. So he tried another combination. Zack attacked again with a flurry of punches.
The Ron found this flurry difficult to handle. The boy was much better than he had anticipated. Suddenly, to his surprise…WHAM!
Zack connected his fist with the pimp's face. Then Zack followed up with a kick to the chest and the Ron went flying.
"Had enough?" Zack asked. "There's a lot more where that came from."
The Ron quickly got back to his feet. "Insolent brat! You'll pay for that!"
The Ron then went on the attack. Zack kept up his dodging game. When the Ron tried to throw a left, Zack used the Ron's arm to push himself back.
The Ron noticed this, and knew quickly Zack was up to something. He saw Zack reach for something on his left shoulder. A knife!
Zack threw the blade at the Ron, but it was obvious the Ron had seen it coming as the Ron sidestepped to his right to dodge the knife.
"Nice try boy," said the Ron. "But it's not right to use weapons in hand to hand combat."
"And it's not right to use girls for your own personal pleasures," replied Zack right back.
And so the two combatants met in the middle of the floor. It was harder for Zack, as he kept backpedaling to avoid being hit, and Elly being harmed as a result of his getting hit.
The Ron noticed Zack was being really defensive, and decided to catch Zack by surprise again. As Zack prepared to backpedal from another attack, the Ron continued to advance and he kicked Zack sprawling.
"YAAAHHHHH!" screamed Elly as she felt the electricity surge through her body again.
"See what you've done?" said the Ron. "The more you fight, the more she gets hurt. So her death will be on your hands."
Zack was pretty slow to get up. That last kick had really knocked the wind out of him. He got up to one knee, panting pretty hard. "And if she dies because of your sick game, I will be able to fight at my hardest. So I suggest you stop this now before YOU get killed!"
"I concur," said the Ron. He hit another button on the remote he had. "Now you had best surrender or face some serious consequences. I have doubled the electricity output from her collar. Before was just 120 volts. Now it's 240 volts!"
Now Elly was really scared. She knew Zack would never surrender, and although she would never forgive him if he gave up, what if he couldn't keep up? He seemed pretty exhausted, and that last hit winded him pretty bad. The pain she would be feeling would now be worse than before. The last electric attacks had already brought her to her knees. 'Please Zack… be careful.'
"I will… never surrender to the likes… of you!" said Zack through his pants of breath. Zack attacked again. However, things were going bad for the Sixth Child; his attacks were slower than before.
The Ron had ample opportunities to counter Zack's tiring attacks, but he decided he would take his time to prolong their suffering. He figured he would pretend to have accidentally dropped his guard before giving Zack the beating of a lifetime.
Zack figured he was making some ground on the Ron. Although he was tiring out, he knew he just had to keep pushing a little further, and he would be able to connect…
WHAM! The Ron suddenly delivered a fist to Zack's face. The Ron then followed up with two kicks to the chest. Zack was about to go sprawling, but suddenly the Ron grabbed his shirt. Four more punches found their way into Zack's face before he was sent flying. And over all the hits, were Elly's screams of pain, and the sound of her hitting the floor.
Zack was sprawled out on the floor next to Elly. "Elly? Are… you there?" Zack asked.
Zack could see the electricity coursing through her body. She was almost unconscious, but she managed to speak. "Zack… I'm… sorry. I couldn't… handle… it. You deserve… better."
Zack took her hand as she fell unconscious to the pain. The fact that the Ron was using Zack's will to fight to torture her and torment himself infuriated Zack. "Elly, I will destroy him. He does not deserve to live."
The Ron chuckled at the sight he saw. "Ah how touching. You two can die together. Ah well, I can still escape. I lost a bit, but survival is all that matters."
"You will not survive."
"What? Who said that?" asked the Ron.
"I did." Zack was back on his feet. "It ends… here."
"Alright. If you are so confident, come and get me, and squeeze what little life is left in your girlfriend."
Not many would be able to figure out what happened next. The look of pure hatred in Zack's eyes suddenly shocked the Ron. Suddenly, Zack charged at him again, with more fury than ever before.
Before the Ron could raise his guard, Zack had apparently become a blur of fury. Almost immediately, Zack hit him between the eyes with a punch. Before he could cry out in pain, he felt a kick to his lower back. Almost instantaneously, a kick to the stomach, then followed by a chop to the back of his head, followed by several punches to the stomach, then a barrage of kicks to his lower back. Then he felt as if someone was hitting him in the face with several hammers, which were actually Zack's fists.
The Ron was dazed from all the pain, the last thing he saw was Zack and he only said one thing.
"Burn in hell."
Zack ran at him one last time. His triple tornado kick had so much force behind it that it pushed the Ron back… through the window.
Zack watched as the Ron fell… through Misato's car. He could hear the alarm going off. 'Damn!' he said to himself. He walked back to where Elly was. She was still unconscious. "I did it Elly," he said to her as he knelt down and took her hand. "He'll never harm anyone again."
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness came over Zack and then he blacked out as well.
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Zack opened his eyes. 'Where am I?' he asked himself. He took a look around. He figured he was in the NERV hospital, because he remembered when Shinji, Asuka, and Rei were hospitalized after their EVA battles. As he looked around, he noticed someone sitting in a chair next to his bed. It was Elly.
"About time you woke up," she said. "It's been what… 24 hours since you blacked out. And you missed out on the wonderful dinner Rei made for you."
"Really?" Zack tried to sit up, but he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"Don't sit up so fast!" said the Australian. "Dr. Akagi said you broke a few ribs in your fight."
Elly helped the Canadian sit up on the hospital bed. Zack then had a question. "So what happened to you? After all those electric shocks?"
"Well, it DID hurt. I'm on painkillers right now, until the effects wear off. All my body joints and muscles feel really tight because of the electricity that went through my body."
"I'm glad you're okay," said Zack with a smile.
"Yeah. Thanks for not giving in despite the danger I was in," said Elly.
"No problem," said Zack. "I would never forgive myself if I let something bad happen to you."
"In that case, I should reward my hero for saving me," the Seventh Child. Before Zack knew what had happened next, he and Elly were sharing a beautiful kiss in that hospital room.
Ritsuko looked on from outside the hospital room on what she was seeing. "I guess he isn't the pervert we all thought he was. But whatever heroic deed he may have done has been disregarded by Misato when she found out he totaled her car."
A/N: Woohoo! I hit 40 chapters! I'm a happy guy right now! R&R people. Until 41, be cool!