Compilation of Final Fantasy VII | Before Crisis | Story
Chapters 4-6

• Chapter Four: Proof of a Scar-Filled Existence
• Chapter Five: The Dreams of a Nameless Soldier
• Chapter Six: Tonight, in Our Unspoilt World

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Chapter Four: Proof of a Scar-Filled Existence

Date & Time: Mar. 16, 0001; 3:00 p.m.
      The Player enters in "Club Duel", a fighting club in Costa del Sol. S/he knocks out a thug, and the current "King" of the club sees the newcomer as a new challenge. The Player tells everyone in the room that they're going to become SOLDIER candidates—by force, if necessary. Costa del Sol is the last place that the Turks have come to to find candidates, and Reno and Rude are on a cargo ship with a bunch of their prospects imprisoned in a large electrified cage, waiting for the Player. In the back of the cage is a huge man that the other prisoners avoid. Back in Club Duel, the Player has knocked out the bouncer and learned that to become the new King, s/he needs to defeat the four strongest men, including the current King. S/he defeats all four challengers, then orders everyone in the club to leave with him/her.
      The player has escorted all of the Club Duel patrons into the cage. He tells them they'll be going to Midgar to undergo Mako transfusion in order to become SOLDIERs. Reno and Rude congratulate the Player on his/her catch, then Reno heads below deck to take a nap. The Player admits to Rude that s/he didn't think they'd have to resort to force; Rude says its something that can't be helped. When the Player asks why, noting that the SOLDIER ranks haven't increased by much, Rude says that only a few of those they've captured will actually enter the ranks. A noise comes up from below deck, and the Player goes to check it out, but not before receiving a warning from Rude. In the cage, everyone has been knocked out by the huge man from before. He turns around to punch the Player, and demands that he/she fight him. When the Player tells him to calm down, he answers that the only ones worthy to give him orders are those that prove their worthiness in battle. The Player complies, fighting the man, whose name is Azul. Though Azul is impressed by the Player's skills, the battle comes to an abrupt end as Rude interrupts, knocking Azul back with one blow.
      Rude and the Player have a small arguement; Rude says that they aren't there to fight, while the Player believes s/he was justified in doing so. Rude gets a call; it's Tseng, who warns that AVALANCHE is heading toward the docks. At the dock, Shears briefs his men on the mission: to infiltrate the Shinra cargo ship and release the SOLDIER candidates before they're sent to Midgar. Despite the Player's best efforts to ward them off, AVALANCHE manages to board the ship, where they proceed to the next phase of the plan: kill the Turks. Rude and the Player fight off AVALANCHE, but then the latter notices that Shears is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Shears is below deck; he tells the imprisoned men that he'll rescue them, and that they should consider joining him in his fight against the Shinra. The candidates are freed, but Azul is not with them. Rude and the Player find Shears, and the Player starts to leave to get Reno, but is stopped by Rude. Rude says that he'll deal with Shears, and orders the Player to gather the escapees. Rude and Shears battle, but Shears has the advantage and knocks his opponent out. A groggy Reno arrives on the scene to see Rude sprawled on the deck. Rude tells Reno that the candidates were released by AVALANCHE, and tells him to go after them. Reno wonders who had decked Rude, but the latter won't say. Meanwhile, Azul has stayed behind on the ship, since there's something he must do.
      Back in Costa del Sol, the Player is searching for all the escaped prisoners. S/he has no luck in getting those s/he defeats in getting to talk, but s/he finally gets some answers out of one of them, who reveals that the other prisoners are getting onboard AVALANCHE's ship. Upon heading back to the docks, the Player comes across a group of prisoners waiting for the AVALANCHE ship to arrive. After fighting them, a call comes in from Rude, who orders the Player to return to the Shinra ship.
      Back on the ship, Rude tells the Player that most of the candidates have been gotten back, and that Reno is still out looking for the last of them. Tseng calls to say that AVALANCHE's ship has moored at the beach and that Shears is there. The Player wants to head for the beach, but Rude knocks him/her down, saying that he owes Shears something. Rude starts off, but runs into Reno along the way. Though Rude has his reservations, he allows Reno to join him on his way to the beach. Back on the dock, the Player gets up, and Azul arrives on the scene. Due to some rumors he's heard in town, he decides that he wants to join SOLDIER voluntarily, but before he'll get back on the ship, he must complete his battle aginst the player. The Player defeats Azul, who says he'll join SOLDIER and become the strongest. Meanwhile, on the beach, Reno and Rude confront Shears together. Shears, who is unable to predict their fighting moves as a combo, ends up escaping from the Turks during the battle. Reno and Rude reach a sort of reconciliation, then head back to the Shinra ship, where the Player is waiting. Their mission over, the Turks decide to leave. A few days later, at Junon harbor, a soldier orders a young uniformed man named Cloud onto a ship...

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Chapter Five: The Dreams of a Nameless Soldier

Date & Time: Jun. 28, 0001; 6:00 a.m.
      AVALANCHE plots their next mission: to intercept a certain "Doctor Laylee" and get some secret data from them. Meanwhile, the Player arrives at a train station in Midgar, where a woman and three guards are waiting. Via PHS, Veld orders the Player to provide security for the woman—Dr. Laylee—and the disk that she's carrying, which holds classified data about SOLDIER. The Player introduces him/herself to Dr. Laylee, but as they leave, AVALANCHE shows up. A fight ensues, and the Player finds him/herself fighting alongside one of the guards, who is unmasked. The guard introduces himself as Cloud. After the battle, the doctor and three guards go up ahead, while the Player brings up the rear. More AVALANCHE members show up, surrounding the Player. In the meantime, Cloud and the other guards are having problems of their own. Cloud orders the other guards to run ahead with Dr. Laylee. The Player shows up and fights alongside Cloud, whose machine gun skills don't seem to be very good. After the fight, the Player talks to Cloud, sensing that the young man wants to see some action, but knowing that he should be protecting the doctor. Up ahead of them, the remaining two guards have Death magic cast upon them by an AVALANCHE member clad in black. As the AVALANCHE members move in to take the doctor away, Cloud and the Player find themselves trapped; if they dare make any sudden moves, the AVALANCHE member in black will kill Dr. Laylee. Veld calls, and the Player gives him the details. Veld orders the Player to move, as the disk is the first priority. The Player positions him/herself before Dr. Laylee, but Cloud comes to stand in your way. As Cloud and the Player argue, the AVALANCHE members holding Dr. Laylee bring her onto the train, which then starts moving. Cloud jumps onto the train, leaving the Player to fight the black-clad AVALANCHE member. Veld calls in to ask about the data; when he finds out it's on the train, he orders the Player to follow it, using the service tunnels.
      The Player goes down into the tunnels, which connect the Upper Plate with the Slums. There are five points from which the train can be intercepted, and some hidden routes that can be used. From one of these points, the Player catches up with the train and boards it.
      The Player then searches the cars for Dr. Laylee, running into various members of AVALANCHE along the way. In the fifth and final train car is Dr. Laylee, as well as Cloud, with three AVALANCHE guards keeping watch. Cloud tells the guards to let the Doctor go, but one of them knocks Cloud down. The Player makes his/her presence known, and fights the three AVALANCHE guards. The Player goes to help Cloud, who asks if s/he's here to put Dr. Laylee in danger again. S/he tells Cloud that the doctor is carrying important company data, to which Cloud replies that the Player is willing to put the doctor's life at risk to protect it. As the Player ponders Cloud's words, Veld calls. The Player reports his/her progress, and Veld orders him/her to get off the train with the data, warning him/her that the black-clothed AVALANCHE are on their way. Said enemies appear as the Player talks to Veld, and Cloud says he'll leave the doctor in the Player's care. The Player hangs up and tells Cloud to go to the other train car. Cloud does so, then the Player disconnects the train cars, leaving Cloud with Dr. Laylee, and the Player with the black-clad AVALANCHE.
      The Player climbs to the train's roof, hoping to jump across to another train, but runs across the black-clad AVALANCHE members. Then, the train stops. Meanwhile, Cloud has also noticed the train stopping, and a black-clad AVALANCHE member shows up to take Dr. Laylee. The Player arrives on the scene and fights the enemy, then goes to take a look around, ordering Cloud to stay with the doctor. Outside are four AVALANCHE members, half of which are wearing black. Cloud runs out to fight alongside the Player, wielding the sword that the black-clad AVALANCHE member from before used. Cloud takes out the two "regular" AVALANCHE members, then fights alongside the Player to take out the remaining two, using the sword with greater efficiency than he did with the machine gun. Back inside the train, Cloud finds that the AVALANCHE member the Player took out is no longer there. The Player goes over to help Dr. Laylee, who's laying on the floor. The doctor tells the Player that AVALANCHE took the disk, but not to worry, since there's a security lock on it. The train starts moving again. Later, at the train station, Cloud and the Player part ways, promising to meet up again in the future, while at AVALANCHE's base, Fuhito reveals that the lock on Dr. Laylee's disk has been dechiphered. Having found all the information they need, Fuhito and Elfe discuss the next phase of their plan, which will require Professor Hojo, the Shinra employee who is most knowledgable about Sephiroth...

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Chapter Six: Tonight, in Our Unspoilt World

Date & Time: Dec. 22, 0001; 11:00 p.m.
      After a hard day's work, the Player, Reno, and Rude call it a day. Reno says they should all head home; however, Rude has other plans. He takes off, leaving Reno and the Player behind. Reno and the Player discuss this, then Reno leaves, only to call a little while later to order the Player to tail Rude. The Player grudgingly accepts this "mission" and starts down the street. In between saving passers-by from thugs and fighting monsters in the sewers, the Player asks the people s/he encounters if they've seen a tall bald man in a suit and shades. After asking around a bit, a flower girl finally tells the Player that just such a man bought a bunch of flowers from him and headed to a bar. Baffled, the Player heads to the bar where s/he sees Rude with a woman. The Player hides behind a plant the entire time that Rude and the woman, whose name is Chelsea, are there. It turns out that Rude is on a date.
      The following evening, after work ends and Rude once again takes off, Reno presses the Player for details. The Player tells Reno that Rude was meeting his girlfriend. Reno wants to head over to the bar to check this out for himself, and he takes off. The Player then gets a call from Veld, who wants him/her to investigate a monster outbreak in Sector Eight and exterminate all the monsters. In Sector Eight, the Player saves a woman from a giant insect—a Chimera (Kimaira) Bug. S/he heads down into the sewers through the manhole that the Chimera Bug came out of. While making his/her way around, s/he comes across an adult Chimera Bug. After this battle, Veld calls for a status report. The Player describes the monsters, and Veld says that they're Chimera Bugs, and gives the Player advice for dealing with them. He then orders the Player to head back to headquarters for the time being, to gather supplies. Meanwhile, Reno has been spying on Rude and Chelsea, hiding behind the same plant the Player utilized the previous night. At one point, Rude gets up to go to the men's room, leaving his PHS on the bar. Chelsea starts to pick up the phone, but stops herself; upon noticing this action, he deduces that something isn't right about this girl. Rude returns, and they make plans for the following evening, Rude telling Chelsea that he must tell her something then. Chelsea says she has to leave, and leave she does. Reno sneaks out as well, following Chelsea into the sewers. There, Chelsea meets with an AVALANCHE operative who asks if she's set up the wiretap. Reno then realizes that Chelsea is an AVALANCHE spy, whose objective is to tap Rude's PHS. However, he also realizes that something isn't quite right—why didn't she take the opportunity to do so tonight?
      The end of another workday has arrived, and Rude starts to take off, as usual. However, Reno stops him this time and starts to warn him about Chelsea, but Rude interrupts, saying he knows the truth about her and knows what he's doing. The phone rings; it's Veld, saying that the monsters in Sector Eight have returned. This time, the Player and Reno go into the sewers together to deal with the Chimera Bugs. The two Turks defeat a number of Chimera Bugs, as well as three of their nests. While all this is going on, Rude stands at the appointed meeting place, waiting for Chelsea...
      After the mission in the sewers, the Player is heading home when s/he sees Chelsea. S/he follows her down a dead-end alley and into the sewers, where she finds Chelsea with three AVALANCHE members. Listening in, the Player learns that Chelsea wishes to quit her mission. The AVALANCHE members move to attack her and the Player jumps in, demanding that they stop. A fight ensues, and afterward, the Player talks to Chelsea. It is then that the Player learns that Chelsea is an AVALANCHE member herself, and that she got close to Rude in order to carry out her mission. However, as time passed, she grew to love Rude, even though he was the enemy. She then tells the Player that she won't be meeting Rude, and asks him/her to pass along her message of farewell to him. Back outside, the Player gives Rude Chelsea's message, but Rude has seen this coming. Quietly, Rude walks away. Reno shows up, and the three Turks walk back to headquarters together, but the player pauses to look at the lit-up tree. Some days later, at a Shinra executive meeting, Reeve presents the damage report for AVALANCHE's Junon attacks. An angry President Shinra asks Veld why the Turks aren't doing more about this threat. Veld tells the President that he's already got all the Turks working full-time, with AVALANCHE as the main priority. Rufus notes that he's bothered that AVALANCHE has known about the Turks' movements this whole time. Veld says they'll look into it; Rufus then remarks that if it's been going this way, then AVALANCHE's advantage comes as no surprise. President Shinra takes this comment as a sharp criticism, but Rufus dismisses this, saying his words were just advice. The meeting ends shortly thereafter, and Veld calls Reno, Rude, and the Player. Veld orders Reno and Rude to go after Fuhito's special corps, and the Player to team up with three other (player character) Turks to gather information. Veld also mentions that they'll be hiring new Turks soon. From there, the Turks go their separate ways to start their missions.

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Before Crisis Story Menu

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Summaries by Reeve, based on translations by D_Angel; September 2005.