Chapter 13: Glow… Not a glare…

POV: Pierce

I had already rappelled down along with Shaundi, Asha, and Keith onto the ship. Damn this thing was huge! We started on our way and gunned down some of the remaining Grave Diggers running around. There was still plenty of fight left in the crew on board and the Saints didn't let up. We managed to get topside from being dropped off at the helipad in the lower deck as opposed to on the actually poop deck. They said it was too hot topside to land safely so they went to a safer spot away from the action. "Check your corners!" Asha yelled. I looked to my right as Shaundi looked left and Keith covered the rear. Rockets were being fired from our own helicopters and destroying parts of the ship. We managed to get topside and Asha led our group into the heart of the battle. I saw Matt Miller running straight towards us, as he looked pretty uncomfortable with that tracer up his ass.

"You've got to help! Killbane is alive and hurting the boss!" Matt yelled frantically. "Killbane is alive?" Shaundi asked angrily. "You have to save her! She's over that way! Come with me." He said as Shaundi and I followed him and Keith David covered our backs. Asha fought her way through more guards before catching back up. I saw a familiar and bloody body lying on the platform in front of us in the midst of the chaos. "No!" I yelled as I went over to check on Ryker. I tried to revive him by pushing on his chest and seeing if he'll budge. Shaundi ran over to us as Asha leapt for Killbane only to be caught by the throat.

"Ryker! Wake up man!" I yelled. "Pierce… He's gone." Shaundi said. "No he can't be!" I yelled as I continued. Shaundi grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes. "He's gone. You can't save him." Shaundi said. I never cried all that much, but knowing this was probably fact made me shed a bit. Asha had just been tossed close to us as she continued to fire on Killbane. Explosions still rang all around us as the battle raged on in the background. "Come on. We have to save the boss." Shaundi said. I nodded as she picked me back up and we approached Killbane. "Hands up asshole!" Shaundi yelled. "You think you can stop me? It didn't work before and it won't now." Killbane said. "A bullet to your head will!" Shaundi yelled. She started to fire at Killbane and it hit him all over but he wasn't affected. He then ran at Shaundi before I could react and slammed her into the ground. I tried to jump on his back and shoot him but he leapt back and slammed into me on the ship. That definitely took the wind out of me. "I knew you Saints were weak. I have only become more powerful. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Killbane said.

"Fucking monologue." Shaundi said quietly. "This is no monologue my dear… This is real life fact. The one you counted on the most in your darkest hour is dead, and soon you will be too." He said as he picked up Shaundi and I by the throats and tossed us to different sides of him. Asha leapt for him again and he knocked her back again. Killbane then tossed Shaundi over to me as Asha continued to try and fight him. "Shaundi… The plan failed girl…" I said. "I know. Can you move?" She asked. I tried moving but realized my body was in way too much pain. "Definitely not." I said. She tried moving but could barely muster the strength to move. "Neither can I." She said. "Looks like Kinzie and Oleg will be the only survivors huh?" I asked. "At least they have brains…" Shaundi said and I chuckled.

"So this is what suffering feels like…" I said. "What? Because you don't have a posh hotel and complimentary food?" Shaundi asked. "I told you that the Saints would know suffering." Killbane said. "Great… He's back." Shaundi said. Killbane pulled out a gun and aimed it at us. "Who shall go first?" He asked. "What the hell is that?" Kinzie asked in my earpiece. "It's Killbane about to kill our asses what do you think?" I asked. "No…" She said before the radio went into a white noise. I saw something glowing in the distance and saw that it was some sort of light. "Holy shit…" I said. Shaundi looked over and saw it too and Killbane turned to look at the light shining and getting closer to us. Something then shot out at Killbane and he was knocked back into the side of the boat. I caught sight of the glowing light and tried to see what it was. "No… Fucking… Way…" I said.

POV: Matt Miller

I couldn't believe how bright the light was, and it actually shot Killbane! It stopped literally everything in its tracks, and for some reason our communicators stopped working. Whatever this entity was it was powerful and it was here for a reason. I started to walk towards it since the battle seemed to stop for the moment and soon the light brightened and eventually faded as three figures stood in its place. The first was a tall and muscular man with tanned skin and long raven hair, the second was a woman with the same type of raven hair, only she was more of an olive oil color, and just looking at these people I knew exactly who they were: The Santo Family.

I walked over to Pierce and Shaundi to aid them if I could and they were in as much shock as I was. "It cannot be… I saw you die!" Killbane yelled. Ryker was in the center in his same outfit as before only now it was colored a deep dark shade of purple that could pass for a grey. I then saw something that I felt like could only be seen in the films, and I saw Samuel Santo and the mother of Ryker merge with him. He cracked his neck that rocked the ship and made everybody swerve around. The super Ryker walked over to the downed Saints and just simply touched them and Shaundi, Pierce, and Asha were back on their feet to fight again. He then walked past Killbane who was being pinned down by an unknown force, possibly Ryker, and Ryker picked the boss up and brought her over to us. He set her down and he touched her and healed her as well. "Ryker?" She asked. He just nodded as they looked at each other. She got back up and as did he. "How?" She asked. "You guys might want to get out of here." He said as we ran for any transportation we could find.

POV: Boss

I stayed behind to talk to Ryker, and I still couldn't believe he was alive. "Boss let's go!" I heard Pierce yell. "How did you come back?" I asked. "Too long to explain." He said. "I saw you die." I said. "I know. You have to get out of here." He told me. "I have to confess something to you." I started. He nodded and urged me to go on. "I don't want anything changing between us. I made a huge mistake and I could never live with myself if it happened again. I know drugging you, taking you here, and all this other stuff was horrible. I apologize for being such a bitch to you. I just figured it's for your safety." I said. "You don't have to save me anymore Holly." He said. He stroked my cheek with his forefinger.

"I love you Ryker." I finally said. That brought a small smile to his face as he looked at me. "I love you." He said. He brought me in for a kiss and it was the sweetest I have ever received. We broke it after about twenty seconds and he enjoyed it as much as I did. "Go. Get as far away from here as possible. Go on your campaign to the white house. If you can name it the white crib." Ryker said. "What you can't just kill him and leave?" I asked. "I will be back one day. It will be when you have your greatest victory. You won't acknowledge it at first, but you will know when." He explained. "I don't understand." I said. "Goodbye…" He said as he turned to face Killbane once more.

Pierce ran up next to me and grabbed me. "We got to go." Pierce then brought me into a helicopter with Shaundi, Matt, Asha, Keith David, and two other Saints. We made our departure and I looked back at the ship where I saw such a force shoot into the air and make its way back down. "Brace yourselves it's going to get bumpy!" The piloting Saint yelled. Soon the weight of the entire world was brought down on that ship as it broke into pieces and a large explosion of pure energy surged through all of the area. The helicopter started to rock and luckily this Saint was a good pilot. "I love you…" I said slowly as I dropped into my seat on the chopper. Pierce put his hand on my shoulder and rubbed it. "He loved you too boss…" He said. I nodded as we continued on our journey back to the penthouse. "It's good to have you back." Asha reassured me. "We need a proper funeral." I said. Everybody nodded in agreement and we made plans to hold the service as soon as possible. They would not die without having a dedication to them. They just wouldn't.