The Last Goodbye
Song that goes with the scene, specific moments timestamped as you read
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XClvMMxBg1k
The red behemoth’s knees buckled, no longer able to support the weight of his body and heavy metallic armor. As Ludok crashed to the floor, a heavy sigh of relief escaped Ruin’s lips. The fight was finally over. It was the first time in recent memory that a conflict had taken so much out of him, but then again, he was used to fighting guys with fishbowls on their head, or animal-themed costumes, not intergalactic alien bounty hunters. Looking around, the damage to the streets and buildings around him were minimal, no casualties in sight. With the immediate threat resolved, his attention turned back to Clemency, moving as quickly as his body would allow, to check on her.
Thankfully, the Parker Industries prototype armor had done its job, keeping Clemency safe. The suit itself, however, looked as if it had seen better days, patches where green and white paint should be were scrapped off. Helping her back to her feet, Ruin pulled Clemency close, embracing her as if it was the very first time. Fate had kept them apart for far too long, but was exactly what brought them back together again.
Before Ludok’s siege, Ruin insisted that Clemency flee the area, but she refused to leave his side. If anything would have happened to her, he would never be able to forgive himself. He couldn’t imagine a life without her, especially after all they both had been through. The mere thought of it had him on the verge of tears.
Clemency removed her helmet, brushing strands of wavy black hair from her face. She pressed herself against Ruin’s chest, the black symbiote skin warm to the touch, soothing even. She closed her eyes, listening to his heart beat, as it slowly reverted to a normal pace. A single finger slipped beneath her olive chin, gently raising her sight to match his, as the symbiote retreated from his head, revealing Aiden’s face. Not a word was uttered between the two, yet their gaze spoke volumes. Ruin leaned in, passionately pressing his lips against hers, surprising Clemency at first. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she combed her hands through his messy dirty-blonde hair, while returning the gesture, lost in the kiss.
CLICK
Ludok dropped what looked like a detonator, wincing as he managed to laugh at the two, barely able to muster up enough strength to keep his head up. “You really thought you were going to walk away from this the victor? This world is infected with your… your sickness! You symbiotes will continue to spread until your kind has consumed everything, only to move on to the next unsuspecting planet, and so on, and so on, until nothing remains but ash! It ends here! There are enough charges primed on my ship to cleanse this place, once and for a-“
Ruin’s fist connected square with Ludok’s jaw, knocking him out cold. The alien’s monologue was tiring, and a waste of now precious time. Aiden and the Ruin symbiote’s minds both raced in unison, frantically searching for a solution to such a dire situation. He looked back to Clemency with a weak smile.
(Song starts to play, from 0:00)
“No… No, I know that face. You’re planning on doing something very stupid… There has to be another way. There has t-“ Clemency pleaded, only to be cut off by another one of Aiden’s kisses. This time, however, she could feel the sadness behind it.
Pulling away, Aiden interjected, “We have to do this. It has to be us. You’re too important to your people, and us, well… Everyone still thinks we are a menace. At least we can do right by the world.” He squeezed Clemency as tight as he could, as he continued, “Besides, death cannot stop true love, all it can do is delay it for a while. One way or another, we’ll be together again, Gabriela…”
Aiden released Clemency and hustled towards the ship, grabbing Ludok and dragging him along. She tried to follow, tried to stop him one last time, only to realize that her arms and legs were bound to the floor. During Aiden’s speech, he had the symbiote’s organic webbing attach to her while she was off-guard. She struggled with all of her might, but it did not yield. She watched as the door to the spaceship sealed behind him.
(Song gets to 0:46 at this point)
As the ship rose from the ground and roared towards the heavens, tears cascaded down Clemency’s cheeks. She desperately pleaded to whatever god may be listening to intervene, voice becoming increasingly shaky. She still felt guilty for their last fight over the fate of the Inhumans and the X-men. The last thing that she wanted was for her most recent memory, her final memory, of Aiden to be of the event that drove them apart in the first place.
Aiden tightly gripped the flight controls, thankful that the symbiote was familiar with the spaceship and how to fly it. His mind wandered into the past. Growing up with Gabriela and their friends, the feeling of falling in love with her, their first kiss, the adventures they’ve shared as heroes, and everything in between. All he could do was smile as the ship rocketed out of the Earth’s atmosphere, and deeper into space. He could only assume that he would reach a safe distance in time.
Aiden whispered to himself, “I love you, Ga-“
(Song is at 1:38, what happens next occurs exactly when the lyrics “hit” is said)
BOOM
Clemency felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, the sight of the shockwave enveloping the twilight was too much to bear. She violently struggled against the webbing, finally able to tear herself away from it, reaching towards the sky in vain. Sobbing uncontrollably, her pained screams echoed through the city.
At the same time Marcus, Mai, and Peter Parker’s attention were all drawn towards the sound of the explosion, from each corner of the city they were in, along with those around them. None of them were aware of the sacrifice their friend had just made, nor the anguish Clemency was experiencing. They had lost not one friend, but two, in that instant.
