From: Little Chiba =========================================================================== [ I n s e r t r e a l l y c o o l F i n a l F a n t a s y 7 ] [ A S C I I l o g o h e r e ] =========================================================================== [ T h e F i n a l F a n t a s y V I I S c r i p t ] v.1.00 [ D i s c 2 - D i s c 3 ] =========================================================================== Ah, too bad I'm not a better ASCII artist. Welcome to the Final Fantasy VII Script. The way I transcribed the different choices ("I don't care / OK, let's go," and the like) requires a little bit of explanation: Do this Do that ***Lead character Do this (Here's all the stuff that happens when you do this) ***Lead character Do that (Here's all the stuff that happens when you do that) (Here's all the stuff that happens no matter whether you do this or that) The actual choices are somewhat more interesting. If you discover any grammatical errors, misspellings, or typos, or if you have a question, comment, or suggestion about the script, I much appreciate it if you email me about it so I can try to incorporate it into the next versions. An enhanced version of this script with HTML formatting, music, and screenshots of the entire game is available at my website at http://come.to/chiba. This document can be used for any purpose except sales or advertisement, as long as it is not modified or changed and is distributed with all available files. As of October 23, 1998, this document consists of three files: ff7disc1.txt, ff7disc2.txt, and ff7opq.txt. The original story was written by Katsuhige Nojima and Yoshinori Kitase; as based on a story by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Tetsuya Nomura. The original copyright is still held by these individuals and Square Co., Ltd. The author of this document does not claim to hold copyright over the full original script, but this document in itself is protected by copyright laws. Email the author at little_chiba@hotmail.com. I do hope you enjoy reading this script much more than I did transcribing it. Sit back, plant your finger squarely on that down-arrow key, and have fun. And be sure to use your imagination. Chiba =========================================================================== Scene 1: Presentiment - AVALANCHE Scene 2: Escape From Mako Reactor 7 Scene 3: Flower Girl - A Daring Leap Scene 4: The Long Ride Home Scene 5: The Reactor Tower Scene 6: Welcome Home, Cloud! - A Childhood Promise Scene 7: The Morning After - Sector 7 Scene 8: The Train - A Narrow Escape Scene 9: Reactor #5 - President Shinra Scene 10: Flowers Blooming In The Church Scene 11: Meet Reno Scene 12: Flee The Church Scene 13: Let's Go, Bodyguard! Scene 14: Sneak Out At Midnight Scene 15: Playground Ai Scene 16: Miss Cloud? Scene 17: Rescue Tifa From Don Of The Slums Scene 18: Lounge Chaos Scene 19: Ecchi Don Scene 20: I'll Smash Them Scene 21: Shinra Plans Scene 22: Encounter At The Reactor Tower Scene 23: Sector 7 Falls Scene 24: Biggs... Wedge... Jessie... ...Marlene... Scene 25: The Flower Girl - Origins Scene 26: A Golden Shiny Wire Of Hope Scene 27: 140 Flights... Scene 28: Climbing Shinra Tower Scene 29: Specimen - Jenova Scene 30: Experimental Aerith Scene 31: Captured - Meet The President Scene 32: A Night In Jail Scene 33: Sephiroth Alive!? - Rufus's Ascent Scene 34: A Confrontation With The New President Scene 35: A Spectacular Escape - Highway Battle Scene 36: Ahead On Our Way Scene 37: Cloud Begins His Story Scene 38: Our Monster Scene 39: Nibelheim - Homecoming Scene 40: The Mountains Of Nibel Scene 41: Monsters Of The Nibel Reactor Scene 42: Sephiroth's Thirst For Knowledge Scene 43: Realization Scene 44: Nibelheim Aflame - Tifa's Revenge Scene 45: J-E-N-O-V-A Scene 46: What A Fascinating Story... Scene 47: The Village Of Kalm Scene 48: Chocobo Chocobo Scene 49: Zolom Impaled - The Mithril Mine Scene 50: Junon Fortress - Resuscitation Scene 51: Rufus's Homecoming Scene 52: The Boat Ride - Jenova BIRTH Scene 53: Landing At Costa Del Sol Scene 54: Hojo On The Beach Scene 55: Mountain Pass - Another Reactor Scene 56: North Corel - Barret's Hometown Scene 57: Gold Saucer - Cait Sith, The God Of Luck Scene 58: Barret's Crime? Scene 59: Corel Prison Scene 60: Gun-Arm Scene 61: Dyne - Broken Trust Scene 62: Ester, Your New Manager Scene 63: Chocobo Race - Free Scene 64: The Turks - Ruined Reactor - Gongaga Village - Aerith and Zack Scene 65: Cosmo Canyon - Grudge Scene 66: Bugenhagen's Observatory Scene 67: The Lifestream Scene 68: Cosmo Candle Scene 69: Nanaki, Son Of Seto Scene 70: Red Truth Scene 71: Nibelheim Revisited - The Black Cloak Scene 72: Calamity From The Skies Scene 73: Rocket Town - Hey, Cid! Scene 74: Sending A Dream Into The Universe - Tiny Bronco Escapes! Scene 75: Tiny Bronco Afloat Scene 76: The Keystone Scene 77: Ghost Hotel Conversation Scene 78: A Midnight Date - Interrupted By Fireworks Scene 79: A Spy!? Scene 80: Temple Of The Ancients - Tseng's Meeting Scene 81: Meteor - A Wound So Large Scene 82: The Black Materia Scene 83: Believe In Me - Cait Sith Scene 84: Cait Sith In The Shrinking Temple Scene 85: Cloud's Sin Scene 86: Aerith's Wood Scene 87: Cloud's Self Scene 88: Bone Village Scene 89: The Sleeping Forest - City Of The Ancients Scene 90: Aerith's Gift Scene 91: Puppet - Descent Into Life Scene 92: Who Am I...? END OF DISC ONE Scene 93: Winter Wonderland Scene 94: Gast's Videos Scene 95: Elena - A Snowy Ride - Great Glacier Scene 96: Gaea's Cliff - Mako Crater Scene 97: The Shinra Airship Scene 98: Reunion - The Black Materia Scene 99: Cloud's Truth, Or Cloud's Lie? Scene 100: Materia Tree Scene 101: Sephiroth's Ruse Scene 102: Identification Number - Out Of Our Grasp Once More - Weapon Rises Scene 103: Origins - Sector 7 Train Station Scene 104: Dark Sun Scene 105: Public Execution - Weapon Attacks - Camaraderie - Cheating Death - Highwind Scene 106: Highwind Takes To The Skies Scene 107: Mideel - Mind Of A Friend Scene 108: Shinra's Plans - Cid's Election Scene 109: Corel's Huge Materia Scene 110: Fort Condor's Huge Materia Scene 111: Weapon Attacks - Lifestream Revisited Scene 112: Into Darkness Scene 113: Enter Cloud's Mind - Nibelheim, Long Ago Scene 114: That Childhood Promise... Scene 115: Jealousy - In My Room Scene 116: On the Other Side of the Mountain Scene 117: The Truth - You Were Watching Me - A Battle of Will Scene 118: Return to the Others Scene 119: Awakening Scene 120: There Ain't No Gettin' Off Scene 121: Underwater Reactor - Sub Space Scene 122: Gelnika Takes Off - Countdown to Dreams and Death Scene 123: Crash Course - Shinra No. 26's Huge Materia Scene 124: Wreckage Scene 125: Escape Pod - Too Little, Too Late Scene 126: The Cry Of The Planet - That Someone Is Us Scene 127: Remembrance Scene 128: Knowledge Of the Ancients Scene 129: Green - Junon Cannon Relocated Scene 130: Sister Ray Scene 131: Weapon Surfaces - Value of a Life - Epic Battle Scene 132: Fire - Weapon Falls - Paths Opened - President's Redemption Scene 133: Imminent Explosion - Hojo Schemes - Midgar Bound Scene 134: Parachute Into Midgar - Turk Settlement - Proud Clod - Hojo Transforms Scene 135: Seven Days - We Have A Reason To Fight Scene 136: Understanding Scene 137: Last Morning Scene 138: We Shall Fight Together END OF DISC TWO Scene 139: The North Crater Scene 140: The Planet's Core - Jenova-SYNTHESIS Scene 141: Judgment Day - The One-Winged Angel Scene 142: Ghost Scene 143: The Beginning of the End Scene 144: The End of the Beginning THE END Optional Quests - Yuffie Meet Yuffie Materia Thief - Turks Off Duty - Godo Steel Them? Corneo Revisited - Truce - Because It's Our Job. Materia Regained Brave the Pagoda - Godo Optional Quests - Vincent Meet Vincent Waterfall Cave Gift From Lucrecia Optional Quests - Basement Flashback Laboratory Revelations Optional Quests - Red XIII Strength of the Valley Optional Quests - Zangan's Letter Zangan's Letter Scene 93 - Winter Wonderland - (Cloud and the others leave the shell house in the Forgotten City.) Tifa "Sephiroth... I wonder which way he went?" (A high-pitched whine emanates from somewhere as Cloud clutches his head.) Cloud "...ugh." (The screen goes a green tint. The camera pans up so show Sephiroth walking northward, then he flickers away. The camera pans back. Cloud starts shaking his head.) Cid "Ey, hey! You alright?" Cloud "Hmmm..." "Sephiroth said to me... Head North......... ......past the Snow Fields......" (They head north. Traversing a giant conch shell, a deep, dark cave, and a snow field, they arrive at the town of Winter.) People in Winter "Grandpa, wake up! We have a customer!" "...smack... mff... Oh... welcome, glad you came." (Sells weapons) "Next time, I'm gonna make an even bigger one." "It's almost finished!" "My boy got hurt right about the time we moved here..." "I never should've bought him a snowboard." "...whimper..... weep....." "My husband left 20 years ago an still hasn't come back." "He should at least be at the foot of the Gaea Cliffs. It's marked with a check on the map..." "The master is an experienced climber, you know." "I've heard that he knows every corner of the Great Glacier!" "It's nearly impossible to reach the Northern limits without a map." "If you're thinkin' 'bout going to the Northern limits, you'd better take that map on the wall." "You heard about the gnarly hill in this town? They tell me it's off limits!" "What luck! We came all this way... crap!" "It's colder than usual today..." "It's 200 gil, you wanna spend the night?" "Phew, what is it? Don't get too close, or it'll burn ya." Scene 94 - Gast's Videos - (Cloud goes to a small shack in the center of town. In it are many scientific instruments, blinking, flashing. They look out of place in this small town. He takes a look at them.) Play the Video? No Yes ***Cloud No ***Cloud Yes The Original Crisis What is "Weapon?" Confidential Don't watch ***Cloud The Original Crisis (The screen fades to black. When it fades in again, we are still in the same room, but the scenery is dimmed slightly green. A man dressed in a lab coat adjusts some of the instruments - the camera pans erratically up and down here - while a woman in a red dress stands by. The man finishes his adjustments and goes over to stand by the woman.) "Camera's ready!" "Then, Ifalna, please tell us about the Cetra." (He steps away, his attention focused on her. She begins to speak.) "2000 years ago, our ancestors, the Cetra, heard the cries of the Planet." "The first ones to discover the Planet's wound were the Cetra at the Knowlespole." "Tell us Ifalna... Where is the land called 'Knowlespole'?" "Knowlespole refers to this area. The Cetra then began a Planet-reading." "Ifalna, what exactly does Planet-reading entail?" "...I can't explain it very well, but it's like having a conversation with the Planet..." "It said something fell from the sky making a large wound." "Thousands of Cetra pulled together, trying to heal the Planet..." "But, due to the severity of the wound, it was only able to heal itself, over many years." "Do the Ancients, rather, the Cetra, have special powers to heal the Planet?" (She shakes her head.) "No, it's not that kind of power. The life force of all living things on this Planet becomes the energy." "The Cetra tried desperately to cultivate the land so as not to diminish the needed energy..." "Hmm, even here so close to the North Cave, the snow never melts." "Is that because the planet's energy is gathered here to heal its injury?" (She bows her head.) "Yes, the energy that was needed to heal the Planet withered away the land... then the Planet..." "The Planet tried to persuade the Cetra to leave the Knowlespole, but..." (The doctor shrugs.) "Ifalna... Let's take a break." (She shakes her head) "I'm all right... When the Cetra... were preparing to part with the land they loved..." (She turns away) "That's when it appeared!" "It looked like... our... our dead mothers... and our dead brothers. Showing us spectres of their past." "Who is the person that appeared at the North Cave? I haven't any idea." "That's when the one who injured the Planet... or the 'crisis from the sky', as we call him, came." (She covers her face with her hands.) "He first approached as a friend, deceived them, and finally...... gave them the virus." (She looks up again.) "The Cetra were attacked by the virus and went mad... transforming into monsters." (She sinks to the floor. The scientist runs over to her) "Then, just as he had at the Knowlespole." "He approached other Cetra clans...... infecting them with... the virus..." "You don't look well... Let's call it a day." (He walks over to the console and presses some buttons. The screen fades.) ***Cloud What is 'Weapon'?" (The screen fades in to show the scientist pressing buttons on the console again. Ifalna is this time seated in the corner. He walks closer to her.) "Ifalna, can you comment on the thing called 'Weapon'?" "Yes, Professor." (She stands and walks over to him.) "The one the Professor mistook for a Cetra... was named Jenova. That is the 'crisis from the sky'." "The Planet knew it had to destry the 'crisis from the sky'..." "You see, as long as Jenova exists, the Planet will never be able to fully heal itself." "Back then, Weapon was a weapon the Planet produced of its own will?" "Yes, but... There is no record of Weapon ever being used." "A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it." "The Planet produced Weapon... But it was no longer necessary to use it." (He shrugs) "So, Weapon no longer exists on the Planet?" (She shakes her head) "Weapon cannot vanish. ...It remains asleep somewhere on the Planet." "Even though Jenova is confined, it could come back to life at some time..." "The Planet has not fully healed itself yet. It is still watching Jenova." "Where is Weapon?" (She looks away) "I don't know...... I can't hear the voice of the Planet well..." "Times... have changed. The Planet... is probably watching this situation closely." (She rubs her eyes. The professor turns away, shaking his head. He looks almost disgusted. The turns back.) "...Thank you, Ifalna, that will be all for today." (He walks to the console and turns the camera off, leaving Ifalna standing there, her face covered in her hands.) ***Cloud Confidential Daughter's Record: 10th Day after birth Daughter's Record: 20th Day after birth Don't watch ***Cloud Daughter's Record: 10th Day after birth (The screen fades to black and remains dark as we hear the Professor and Ifalna speak.) "What are you doing, Profes...... I mean, honey?" "Oh, I'm thinking of taping it on video. But, the video's not working right..." "What are you going to tape? Is there still something I haven't mentioned?" "No, that's not it. I'm going to record my beautiful daughter." "And when she's sleeping, her face ...looks like an angel." "First, we have to figure out her name. We can take the video later!" "I've already decided! If it's a girl, then it'll be Aerith. That's that!" "You are SO selfish! But Aerith is a good name!" "Hee hee... it's a good name, considering it came out of that forgetful head of yours!" "Right!? Oh, the video tape......" ***Cloud Daughter's Record: 20th Day after birth (The screen fades in to show the Professor working at the console again. Ifalna comes in and stands next to him.) "Video again? You just got through taping!" ".........Please don't say it that way." "It's our lovely daughter, both yours... and mine!" "Don't you want to capture her childhood on videotape?" "If you keep doting on her like that, she won't grow up to be strong..." "Aerith is different from the other children. I wonder what dangers await her...?" (He faces away) "Never say that! I will protect you and Aerith no matter what!!" (He turns to her) "You and Aerith are my only treasures. I'll never let you go!!" "I feel so much better now, darling." "If I hadn't met you, I......" (He walks over to her and places his arms around her neck. Just as they are about to kiss, there comes an abrupt knock at the door. He turns) "Who could that--! I was just about to..." (He grabs his head. Ifalna covers her face) "Damn!!" "How dare they intrude on our 'private time' together!" "I'll send them away." (She looks at him) "Yes, at once!!" "Who the devil?" (She goes to the door. As the opens it, cold wind blows through the room.) "It, it's them!!" (She runs behind the Professor. Two Shinra guards rush into the room, followed by Hojo. He walks right up to the Professor.) "Heh, heh, heh...... I've been searching for you, Ifalna... or should I say, Cetra!" "Long time no see, Professor Gast!" (So this is Professor Gast.) "Hojo... How did you know?" "Believe me, I had to turn over a stone or two to find you." (Hojo faces away as Gast shakes his head.) "Two years I waited.... That's how much I wanted this new sample..... Ha, ha, ha." (He turns back to Gast.) "...New sample? You don't mean Aerith!?" (Gast viciously grabs onto the front of Hojo's lab coat. The two guards raise their guns. He freezes. Hojo pushes his arm away.) "Hmm, Aerith? What a nice name...... Ha, ha, ha." (Gast holds his head.) "That's it! I'm severing all ties with the Shinra." "Hojo, please leave." (Ifalna moves at last. She walks calmly around in front of Gast and kneels on the floor before Hojo.) "Please, Aerith has nothing to do with it! All you want is me, right?" (Gast spins to face her) "Ifalna!" (Hojo nods) "I'll need all of you for my experiment." (He turns to face Gast.) "You understand, don't you, Professor Gast? We can change the future of the Planet!" (Gast kneels by Ifalna.) "Don't worry, Ifalna. I'll take care of this!" "Please don't put up a fight. I don't want any harm to come to my precious sample." (Hojo turns to face the camera.) "Mmm? What a funny looking camera. Guard! Destroy it!" (The guard nearest the camera spins and shoots out the camera. The screen goes black.) "Be careful with her!! Ha, ha, ha......" (A sound of a blow.) "Wh... what are you doing, Professor!?" "Ifalna! Take Aerith and run!!" (A sound of a gunshot.) "Eyaaaaah... Darling......!!" (A pause.) "Oh, and uh... don't forget the child!" "Hmm, a video? The Ancients... Weapon!?" "Heh, heh, heh... a mountain of treasure! Thank you, Professor... Ha, ha, ha." ***Cloud Don't watch ***Cloud Don't watch Scene 95 - Elena - A Snowy Ride - Great Glacier - (Cloud exits Gast's shack in Winter. He goes north, to the steep slope past the town, where someone mills aimlessly around.) "No, don't! It's a steep downgrade past here!" "It's dangerous, please don't go!" I'm still going Thanks for your kindness ***Cloud "I'm still going "Damn, I was just being nice..." "What the? Who are those people over there? Looks like trouble!" (The camera pans downward. We see Elena come running into Winter. She turns to face her guards.) ***Cloud Thanks for your kindness "No, no. I just did what came natural." Elena "There they are, hurry!" (The guards pop into the camera, flanking her) "Yes ma'am!" (All three come running up to Cloud.) Elena "Cloud... huff... wheeze." "I won't let you go any further!" (Cloud shrugs) Cloud "What's down there?" Elena "It's a SE-CR-ET." "It really doesn't matter! But you really got guts doin' my boss in like that!" Cloud "You mean Boss... Tseng? That wasn't us. Sephiroth did it." Elena "No! Don't think you can fool me, liar!" Cloud "I'm not lying... it was Sephiroth." Elena "Don't try to act innocent. I'll never forget it!!" (Cloud scratches his head) Cloud "Oh, man..." (Elena taps her foot) Elena "Looks like talking alone won't cut it. You're going to have to feel some pain!" (A guard steps forward) "Just you... and me!!" Elena "No, I can handle him! There's no way he can avoid my punch." "What? Yeah......" (Elena throws a punch, leaving the PLAYER, via a series of direction presses to avoid it.) ***If you didn't avoid it... (Elena kneels by Cloud) Elena "Why? Why didn't you try to avoid it..." (She stands) Elena "There's no way they can climb the Great Glacier anyway." "Put them in some house in the village." (The screen fades to black. Cloud wakes up in Gast's laboratory.) ***If you avoid it... (Elena's punch misses and she goes tumbling down the hill, cannonball style.) "Ele... Elena!?" (Her guards give chase. The guy milling around the top of the mountain comes out from his hiding place in the trees.) "What the...? They sure were weak for Shinras." "Sorry I just took off a while ago... It looked like there was going to be trouble." "Anyhow, you'll need a snowboard to get down that hill. Want me to teach you to ride one?" Yeah, maybe you should Nope, not interested ***Cloud Yeah, maybe you should (He gives control directions for riding the snowboard.) ***Cloud Nope, not interested "All right, big-head... But don't blame me if you get hurt." (Cloud returns to the house of the injured little boy.) "I got hurt on my snowboard, and now I can't go out for a while..." "Hey, I'll give you my snowboard." "Tell me when you get good at it." (Cloud receives the Snowboard. He takes it to the slope at the north end of the village and rides it to the bottom in an incredibly fun minigame. They all land in a heap at the bottom.) Cloud "Ugh..." (He shakes his head) Cloud "I guess we're still in one piece." "Everyone all right?" Tifa "Yeah, somehow." Cid "I can't be doin' this! Damn!" Cloud "So where did we land?" "Looks like we've jumped pretty far..." (Your starting point changes depending on which path you took through the minigame. Heading right causes you to jump farther.) Tifa "Oh yeah, we got the map, right? Let's look at the map by pressing the Square button." Cloud "It sure is cold. We'll freeze if we stay here any longer." (Cloud and the others begin to explore the frozen mountain. Everntually, they pass out from exhaustion and cold. They come to in a house.) "You awake?" (A man comes down from a loft above them.) "You collapsed at the Great Glacier. It's a miracle you're all right." "My name is Holzoff. I've been living here 20 years now." "If you are planning to head North, you'd better listen to my story." "Why don't we go to the next room and sit down." (They go to the next room.) Holzoff "You ever hear about those who challenged the cliff?" Yeah No ***Cloud No "There's an old legend that says something fell from the sky here a long time ago." "That's what's supposed to have pushed the land up and formed this cliff." "30 Years ago, Yamski and I took this cliff on to see what was on the other side." "But, we weren't prepared for it. We did expect the temperature to be low but..." "On that cliff, there's always a biting cold wind. The cold air lowers your body temperature." (He faces away) "Yamski, was below me. He cut his own rope..." "...and I didn't even notice..." (He turns back) "Ever since then, I've settled here... continuing to challenge the cliff, and provide warning and shelter to my fellow climbers." "If you're going to climb the cliff, there's 2 precautions you'll need to take." "First, check your route... It's hard to find because of all the snow." "Second, once you get to a ledge, make sure you warm youselves up." "Understand?" One more time Yes ***Cloud One more time (He explains again) ***Cloud Yes "You must've used a lot of energy getting up here... Better get some rest before you head out." (They spend the night.) Scene 96 - Gaea's Cliff - Mako Crater - (Cloud and the others wake up and leave the shack. Everyone is shivering outside in the snow.) Barret "You know, I've been thinkin'...?" What is it? Save it for later ***Cloud What is it? Barret "Seein' a place like this, makes you realize how awesome nature is." "But, if anyone ever told me to live here, I'd tell them to... you know..." "I tell you one thing though. If I did have to live here I'd change things around 'n' make it better." "I guess the total opposite of this would be...... Midgar." "When you think of it that way, Shinra don't seem so bad..." (He makes an angry motion) Barret "Uuuuurrrrrgh!!" "What the hell am I sayin'!? The Shinra, not bad!?" ***Cloud Save it for later Cloud "We'll secure the route. You come up later." (Cloud heads north, to Gaea's Cliff. Traversing a long series of uneventful cliffsides and ice caverns, they reach a long tunnel, illuminated green. Something groans ahead of them.) "Ugh....... Errgaahh!!" (A black-cloaked figure is thrown into the tunnel.) (Boss battle with Schizo) (They exit the tunnel and find themselves on a narrow ledge. Climbing the canyon wall, they reach the summit of a huge crater. FMV sequence as they see Mako energy spewing pure from the crater. They head down the canyon wall.) Cloud "An old crater..." "Something fell out of the sky and crashed down here......" "Leaving a scar on the planet." Cid "Damn, this's somethin'. It's gathered up all that energy to try an' heal itself." Cloud "Sephiroth took that energy and is trying to use Meteor." "Next time the wound won't be so small." (They continue down towards the crater. Near the bottom, another black-cloaked figure collapses.) "...b, back... to... Seph... ...i...roth..." (They continue, reaching a misty passe. Huge black obelisks rise from the fog.) Tifa "The time has come to settle things with Sephiroth, huh?" (Cloud nods. She faces away) Tifa "I, too, have lost many things because of Sephiroth." (A pause. She turns back) Tifa "Let's go!" (They continue on. Arriving at a large rock wall, they see another black-cloaked figure. It jumps off the wall to its death before they reach it. A ways further, Cloud pauses and looks up at the sky.) Cloud "That's......!!!" (The scene fades.) Scene 97 - The Shinra Airship - (When the scene fades in, we are on the Shinra airship. Rufus and Scarlet look out the front bay window. Heidegger stands behind them.) Rufus "So, I finally found you." Scarlet "Kyaa haa hah." (She turns to Heidegger) Scarlet "Kyaa haa hah." "haa hah" "haa.............hah" "This is incredible......" (Heidegger laughs) Heidegger "This is the Promised Land the President has been searching for!!" (Rufus turns to look at him) Rufus "But, I'll be the one who gets it." (He turns back to watch the clouds below.) Rufus "Sorry, old man." (The camera pans down. We see Hojo laughing to himself in the other corner of the room. Rude stands behind him.) Hojo "Heh heh heh......" (He stops laughing.) Hojo "That land is no one's." (He straightens. Rude turns toward President Rufus) Hojo "It's where the Reunion will take place...... They will all gather here......" "I wonder if I will see...... Sephiroth?" (The scene fades to black.) Scene 98 - Reunion - The Black Materia - (Cloud continues on his journey to the North Crater. They reach a long land bridge; the wind blows so strong it is visible. Two black-cloaks attempt to pass the wind, then get knocked back.) Tifa "We need to cross when the wind is calm, or we'll get swept off!" (They cross. On the other side, we see that the land bridge continues on a long way, twisting in on itself. Hundreds of black cloaks trudge along it, single file. Here and there one jumps off to its death or simply collapses in the way. The others walk over them. Continuing along the land bridge, they reach a point where they seem to be miles above the earth. Standing in the way is Sephiroth.) "This is the end for all of you." (There are two black cloaks kneeling on either side of him. With a swing of his sword, they both fall to the ground below. One bounces loudly on a stone protrusion before disappearing into the green mist below.) Cloud "Sephiroth!!!" (They all run forward and confront him. Sephiroth does not turn around.) "This is the end!" "You're right. This is the end of this body's usefulness." (The area goes dark. Sephiroth disappears, leaving only a pulsating jet of purple smoke. Cloud's heart pounds in our ears.) Cloud "He disappeared!?" Tifa "He might still be nearby......" (The camera pans all around as they look for Sephiroth. They see no sign; but now there are two jets of smoke. Suddenly, they hear Sephiroth's voice from... somewhere.) Our purpose is to deliver the Black Materia to our master. (Cloud looks around.) Cloud "Our...?" Cid "Hey, hey, ! What's goin' on?" (The camera pans wildly. There are now three jets.) Those who carry Jenova's cells... Cloud "Master...!?" (Four jets.) Of course... Sephiroth. (Cloud's heart pounds faster.) Heh, heh, heh... (His heart pounds still faster and louder until he falls to his knees. The light suddenly returns to the area. Sephiroth is hovering above them, his sword drawn. He descends on the party, knocking them to the ground. He stands for a moment by the edge of the land bridge, his arms raised to the sky. Then Cloud stands, slowly. Sephiroth turns to face him, his sword drawn, and the battle begins.) (Boss battle with Jenova-DEATH) (Once Jenova-DEATH has been defeated, the entire party meets with Cloud at the land-bridge. A small black mass floats where Jenova stood.) Cloud "Jenova's cells..." "...hmm. So that's what this is all about." "The Jenova Reunion..." Tifa "Not Sephiroth!? You mean all this time it wasn't Sephiroth we were after?" (He shakes his head) Cloud "I'll explain later. Right now, the only thing I'm thinking about is beating Sephiroth." Tifa "But Sephiroth is..." Cloud "He's here. the real Sephiroth is just beyond here." "It's both incredibly wicked and cruel..." "But it's releasing a powerfully strong will from deep within this planet's wound." (Cloud walks to the black mass and picks it up. The Black Materia.) Cloud "...The Black Materia is back in our hands." "Now all we have to do is defeat Sephiroth and that'll be the end of it." Tifa "We'd better not take the Black Materia any further. Why don't you give it to someone else to hold on to?" (Cloud gives the Black Materia to Red XIII.) Red XIII "You want me to take the Black Materia? ......all right, I understand." Cloud "Don't give it to ANYONE. I'm counting on you." (He returns to Tifa. She nods.) Tifa "Let's find Sephiroth!!" (Cloud turns to face the whole party) Cloud "We're going in first! You guys stay and keep watch." (They continue on their journey.) Scene 99 - Cloud's Truth, Or Cloud's Lie? - (Cloud and the others continue across the land bridge. Braving more winds and lightning, they complete another section of the land bridge... when the screen goes white.) Tifa "What is this? What happened?" Cloud "Calm down, Tifa." "Sephiroth is near. Anything could happen." (When the white fades, we see Cloud approach the gates to his hometown.) Tifa "Nibelheim..." Cid "What the hell? Why Nibelheim!?" (Cloud shakes his head sadly) Cloud "This is an illusion Sephiroth made up." "He's trying to confuse us." "It'll be all right. As long as we know it's an illusion, there's nothing to be afraid of." "Come on, let's keep going." Tifa "Yeah, you're right..." "Look!!" (She points to the town entrance. They all turn to look, then scatter to make room. Sephiroth reaches the gates to Nibelheim.) Sephiroth "All right, let's go." (Sephiroth appears not to notice the others as he walks further into the town. He is followed by two guards and a young man with black, spiky hair and a huge sword on his back.) Cid "Cloud's not here......" (Tifa shakes her head.) Tifa "Stop... Sephiroth." (Cloud shrugs) Cloud "This is so stupid..." (Sephiroth begins to laugh, covering his mouth in mirth, when the screen flashes white and all disappear save the party.) Cid "Hey, Cloud. Let's get back to the real world, huh." Tifa "Cloud... It's just an illusion." "Don't worry about it..." (The screen goes white. we hear the sound of rushing wind.) Cloud "What's.. next?" Tifa "Stop it already!!" Cid "This is terrible..." (The white fades to reveal that we are still in Nibelheim. Every building in the town is aflame.) Cloud "...This is what actually happened five years ago." "But..." "It's probably not me that's going to come out of the Shinra mansion." "He's going to try and show us another stupid illusion." (We see the black-haired young man from before rush out of the Shinra mansion.) Cloud "See... didn't I tell you?" (He slowly walks into the town, his sword drawn. Zangan is outside the inn, while a couple people lie on the ground.) Zangan "Hey! It's you! You're still sane, right?" (He nods.) Zangan "Then come over here and help me!" (He rushes over to Zangan.) Tifa "I don't want to... watch this. Cloud... don't watch." (The young man turns in place slowly, staring at the burning houses. He shakes his head sadly.) Zangan "I'll check this house. You check that one over there." (Zangan rushes into the inn.) Cloud "...What's wrong, Tifa? I told you before, right?" "As long as we know that it's just an illusion, there's no need to be scared." (The screen goes white again, and Cloud and the others are standing amidst the flames. Cid goes over to the person laying outside the inn.) Cid "He... hey you! You alright!?" (He does not respond. Cid turns) Cid "Damn! This was all made up." Cloud "Sephiroth! I know you're listening! I know what you want to say!" (He shakes his head) Cloud "That I wasn't in Nibelheim five years ago." "That's it, isn't it?" (A blink of white, a gong of a church bell, and Sephiroth is there.) Sephiroth "I see you finally understand." Cloud "What you are trying to say is that you want to confuse me, right?" "But... even making me see those things won't affect me." "I remember it all. The heat of the fire... the pain in my body... and in my heart!" (Sephiroth shakes his head grimly.) Sephiroth "Oh, is that so?" "You are just a puppet... you have no heart... and cannot feel any pain..." "How can there be any meaning in the memory of such a being?" "What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion." (Cloud shrugs. He walks right up to Sephiroth.) Sephiroth "...Do you understand?" Cloud "I don't want to understand." (He turns away from him.) Cloud "But, I want to ask you one thing. Why... why are you doing this?" (A blink of white. Sephiroth appears in front of Cloud, between Tifa and Cid, his arms raised. They run to stand beside Cloud.) Sephiroth "Ha, ha, ha......" "I want to take you back to your real self." "The one who gave me the Black Materia that day..." "Who would have ever thought a failed experiment would prove so useful?" "Hojo would die if he knew." (Cloud steps forward) Cloud "Hojo!? What does he have to do with me!?" (Sephiroth lowers his arms.) Sephiroth "Five years ago you were..." "...constructed by Hojo, piece by piece, right after Nibelheim was burnt." "A puppet made up of vibrant Jenova cells, her knowledge, and the power of Mako." "An incomplete Sephiroth-clone. Not even given a number. ...That is your reality." (Cloud shrugs.) Tifa "Cloud... Don't listen to him..." "Close your ears! Close your eyes!" Cloud "What's wrong, Tifa? I'm not affected by it." "...I wasn't paying attention to him." Tifa "All that talk of Hojo constructing you is a lie." "Don't we have our memories together?" "Being kids together, starlit nights..." (Sephiroth cocks his head toward her.) Sephiroth "Ha, ha, ha... Tifa..." "Why are you so worried and scared by those words?" "Hmm... Shall I show everyone here what's in your heart?" (She quickly turns away, without a word.) Sephiroth "Ha, ha, ha... You look like you're not feeling well." (He disappears. Cloud turns to Tifa) Cloud "...Tifa? Is Sephiroth right?" (She doesn't speak for a long time.) Tifa "Cloud..." Cloud "Why are you so scared? Don't worry about me. I'm all right." "No matter how confused I am, I'll never believe a word that Sephiroth says." (He looks at the ground.) Cloud "It's true that sometimes I can't figure out who I am." "There's a lot of things muddled up in my memories." "But, Tifa......." "But you said, 'Long time no see, Cloud' right?" "Those words will always support me." "I am the one you grew up with. I'm Cloud of Nibelheim." "No matter how much I lose faith in myself, that is the truth." (He looks up at Tifa.) Cloud "That's why you shouldn't be so scared." "No matter what anyone else says to me, it's your attitude that counts..." (He turns away. Tifa turns back towards him. She shakes her head.) Tifa "No, that's not true, Cloud......" (He shakes his head sadly and turns to face Tifa.) Cloud "What's not? Aren't I the same Cloud you grew up with?" Tifa "That's not what I meant... I don't know how to say it..." "Cloud, I need some time... Just give me a little time..." (The screen flashes white and Sephiroth is standing on the stairs down to the courtyards. All but Tifa turn to face him.) Sephiroth "Cloud... Don't blame Tifa." "The ability to change one's looks, voice, and words, is the power of Jenova." "Inside of you, Jenova has merged with Tifa's memories, creating you." "Out of Tifa's memory..." "A boy named Cloud might've just been a part of them." (In a blink of white, he vanishes.) Tifa "Cloud..." "Please... don't think right now." (White flash. Sephiroth is behind them.) Sephiroth "Ha, ha, ha...... Think, Cloud!" "...Cloud? Ha, ha, ha...... Oh, excuse me. You never had a name." (Cloud shakes his head.) Cloud "Shut up... Sephiroth." (Sephiroth shakes his head.) Sephiroth "You still don't understand? Then..." (He faces away and starts to laugh. It is the exact laugh as he might have made upon his first arrival to Nibelheim. He stops with a dismissive gesture and turns to face Cloud.) Sephiroth "Do you remember the picture that we took before we headed for Mt. Nibel?" (He turns to Tifa) Sephiroth "...Tifa, you remember, right?" (He turns back to Cloud and raises his arms in an almost-happy gesture.) Sephiroth "But there is no way he would know." (He shakes his head. Cloud shrugs) Sephiroth "Now... what happened to that picture?" (He pretends to look all around, then practically skips over to the dead man lying in front of the inn. The photographer.) Sephiroth ".......is this it?" (He turns back to Cloud.) Sephiroth "...Do you want to see it? It turned out pretty good." Tifa "Cloud... don't..." (He nods to Tifa.) Cloud "I... should be in the picture." "Even if I'm not in there, no worry. This is just an illusory world Sephiroth made up." (He looks at the picture. Of course, the young man in the picture has black hair, not blond.) Cloud "...Just as I thought." (He nods.) Cloud "This picture's a fake. The truth is in my memory." "...Five years ago, I came back to Nibelheim, to inspect the reactor. I was sixteen." "The town hadn't changed at all. What did I do...? Oh yeah..." (He nods) Cloud "Yeah, I went to Tifa's room. There, I..." (What did you do at Nibelheim...?) Cloud "I played the piano!" "I looked in the drawers!" "I spent the night and went to the reactor in Mt. Nibel. I was excited about it." "Because that was my first mission after becoming First Class in SOLDIER." (A flash. Sephiroth is gone. Cloud shakes his head) Cloud "...SOLDIER, First Class?" (He shakes it harder.) Cloud "...SOLDIER? When did I enter SOLDIER?" (He clutches his head, trembling.) Cloud "How did I join SOLDIER?" (He falls to the ground, shaking harder.) Cloud "Why... why can't I remember?" (He rises to one knee.) Cloud "I'm... I'm..." (He stands.) Cloud "That's right..." (He nods) Cloud "...I didn't have to worry about it, because I was..." (The screen fades to black. Silence.) Tifa "......Cloud?" Cloud "Let's go, Tifa. I'm... I'm all right." Scene 100 - Materia Tree - (The screen fades in to show a crystal cave at the Northern Crater. President Rufus enters, standing in the center of the room for a moment, enjoying. Scarlet enters.) Scarlet "Wow!! That's amazing!" (She runs to the center of the room, to the back wall, and back, looking up. Hojo enters just before the camera pans past him to the ceiling of the cave. There is a huge, tree-like, awe-inspiring structure there. Sunlight diffuses through it, into the cave. One large blue stone is nestled in the center of it.) Scarlet "It's all Materia!!" Rufus "The ouside is rich with Mako energy, The inside is a treasure trove of Materia. This truly is the Promised Land." Hojo "There is no such thing as the Promised Land. It's a legend... an old wives tale... ...it's utterly ridiculous." (The camera pans back down to show Hojo standing near Rufus. Rufus turns to face him.) Rufus "Everything as I imagined it to be. Isn't it splendid?" "It is that kind of dullness that makes you a second-rate scientist." (The entire room quakes, filled with a rumbling sound. Rufus spins.) Rufus "What's happening?" Scarlet "It's coming from within the wall! Something's in there! It's moving!" (A huge, emerald green eye winks out from the wall of the cave.) Hojo "Weapon..." "Then it really does exist... I didn't believe in it." Rufus "What does this mean?" (Hojo turns to face him) Hojo "...Weapon. Monsters created by the Planet." "It appears when the Planet is in danger, reducing everything to nothingness." "That's what was stated in Professor Gast's report." Rufus "I never saw that report... Where is it?" (Hojo searches a bit and holds up something in his hand.) Hojo "Here, right here." (The eye winks again.) Rufus "You keep a lot of things to yourself." (The screen fades to black.) Scene 101 - Sephiroth's Ruse - (The scene fades in again and we are at the land bridge. Red XIII, Barret, and Cait Sith are waiting there. The green wind below is rushing past at insane speeds.) Red XIII "I wonder how Cloud and the others are..." "It's hard to believe... such a small piece of materia is able to destroy the Planet..." (The land bridge, the others, everything vanishes in a blink of black. Red XIII is left hovering over the winds below. He looks around.) Red XIII "What the!?" (He looks another direction) Red XIII "Is everyone all right?" (He makes fighting motions.) Red XIII "What's going on?" "Where am I!? Don't leave me alone!" (Tifa comes running in from somewhere in the wind.) "Red XIII, you're here! I'm so glad!!" (The land bridge fades in again. Barret and Cait Sith are gone.) Red XIII "Tifa!!" (He runs over to her) Red XIII "Something is strange... Why was it dark all of a sudden and where is everybody?" "Everyone's waiting! Cloud's in trouble!" (A voice from offscreen) "Please come. Help us!" (Tifa turns in the direction they had left.) "Over there!" (Red XIII nods) Red XIII "R, right!" "I'm not sure I understand... but I'll go if you want me to." (He runs off. Tifa is still standing there.) "......hee hee hee... And remember..." (Tifa's form flickers, then vanishes. It is replaced by Sephiroth.) "...the Black Materia!" (Sephiroth vanishes, and Barret and Cait Sith flicker back in, flat on the ground. They sit up, slowly, rubbing their heads.) Scene 102 - Identification Number - Out Of Our Grasp Once More - Weapon Rises - (The scene fades back to the cave in the Northern Crater.) Scarlet "Mr. President... I've got a bad feeling about this place..." (Rufus turns to Scarlet) Rufus "Hmm... perhaps we should return to the ship now." "We need to prepare for the inspection anyway." (The screen flashes white for a moment, and Cloud is standing in the center of the cave.) Scarlet "Hey!!! Where did you come from?" Cloud "...don't know..." (He turns to Rufus, shaking his head) Cloud "This place is going to get rough." "Better leave things to me and get out of here while you still can!!" (Rufus flips his hair back.) Rufus "Leave things to you? Hmph... I don't know what you mean." (Cloud turns away, slowly) Cloud "This is where the Reunion is happening. Where everything begins and ends." (Tifa runs in from the rear of the cave.) Tifa "Cloud!" (They take no notice. Red XIII comes running in.) Red XIII "I'm here to help you, Cloud!" (Cloud stands still for a long moment, then holds his head. He is almost crying. He takes a few steps toward Red XIII, then stops again. Eventually he goes all the way over to Red XIII.) Cloud "Thanks... Red XIII. Where's the Black Materia?" Tifa "Cloud!" Red XIII "It's safe. I'm holding onto it." (Cloud looks down.) Cloud "I'll take it from here. Give me the... Black Materia." Tifa "You can't hear my voice?" Red XIII "Are you all right, Cloud?" (Cloud nods.) Red XIII "Then... here you go. I was a little apprehensive holding this thing." Tifa "No, don't! Please... stop, Cloud!" (Cloud takes the Black Materia from Red XIII.) Cloud "Thanks. ......leave the rest to me." (There is a long pause... then the screen blinks white, and for just a moment, we see Sephiroth, staring.) Come on... the Black Materia Please!! Just a little longer!! (The white fades. Cloud walks to the center of the room.) Cloud "Everyone, thanks for everything. And... I'm sorry." (He faces Rufus.) Cloud "...Sorry." (He faces Red XIII.) Cloud "...Sorry." (He faces Tifa.) Cloud "Especially you, Tifa. I'm really sorry." "You've been good to me...... I don't know what to say..." (He shakes his head.) Cloud "I never lived up to being 'Cloud'." "Tifa... Maybe one day you'll meet the real 'Cloud'." (He walks forward and turns to Hojo. Tifa holds her face and sinks to the ground, crying.) Hojo "Ha, ha, ha... this is perfect!!!" "It means that my experiment was a complete success!" (He laughs.) Hojo "What number were you? Huh? Where is your tattoo?" (Cloud shakes his head sadly.) Cloud "Professor Hojo... I don't have a number." "You didn't give me one because I was a failed experiment." (Hojo turns away) Hojo "What the--? You mean only a failure made it here?" (Cloud speaks to his back.) Cloud "Professor... please give me a number. Please, Professor..." (Hojo spins to face him.) Hojo "Shut up, miserable failure..." (Cloud slumps down. We hear the sound of an electrical spark, and catch another fleeting glimpse of Sephiroth's visage, then Cloud rises into the air, spinning, exactly like Sephiroth had at the Forgotten Capital. He shoots up to the tree-like structure at the ceiling. The screen goes white.) Rufus "Who... was that?" Hojo "...He's a Sephiroth-clone I created after the real Sephiroth died five years ago." "Jenova cells amd Mako, with my knowledge and skills, have been combined with science and nature to bring him to life." (A glimpse of the materia tree.) Hojo "...I'm not wild about the failure part, but the Jenova Reunion Theory has now been proven." (Another glimpse.) Hojo "You see, even if Jenova's body is dismembered, it will eventually become one again. That's what is meant by Jenova's Reunion." (Another.) Hojo "I have been waiting for the Reunion to start. Five years have passed, and now the Clones have begun to return." (Another.) Hojo "I thought the clones would begin to gather at Midgar where Jenova is stored." "But my predictions were not entirely correct. Jenova itself began to move away from the Shinra Building." (The scene fades in to show the materia tree. Cloud stands upside down on one of the roots, by the huge blue stone in the center.) Hojo "But being a genius that I am, I soon figured it out. You see it was all Sephiroth's doing." "Sephiroth is not just content to diffuse his will into the Lifestream; he wants to maniplate the Clones himself." (The room seems to darken and Cloud sits down on the root, defying gravity. He crosses his arms on his knees.) "Yes, that was how it got started." (The room lightens.) Hojo "I wondered where the clones were going, but I was never able to figure it out." (Darkens.) "I couldn't figure it out, either." (Lightens.) Hojo "The one thing that I did know was that Sephiroth was at their final destinations." (Darkens.) "I wasn't pursuing Sephiroth." (Cloud shakes his head.) "I was being summoned by Sephiroth." "All the anger and hatred I bore him made it impossible for me to ever forget him. That and what he gave me." (Cloud stands, upside down, on the tree root.) "Sephiroth? Sephiroth? I'm here. And I have brought you the Black Materia." "Show yourself to me. Where are you?" (Cloud turns and steps to the blue stone, which is now glowing brightly.) "Sephiroth... So we finally meet again." (He walks down (up) to the center of the tree. FMV sequence. The blue stone slips, then falls down, sending small stones to the floor below. We see that the stone is a cocoon for Sephiroth. His body sleeps inside it, prefectly preserved, sleeping, waiting. The scene switches back to the floor. Rufus and Scarlet have left. The entire room quakes violently.) Hojo "Did you see it!! It's Sephiroth! So he IS here!" (They all turn to face him.) Hojo "This is perfect! Both Jenova's Reunion and Sephiroth's will!" "They won't be diffused into the Lifestream," "but gathered here! Mwa, haa, ha,....." (Tifa shakes her head.) Tifa "What are you so happy about, Professor? You know what this means, don't you?" "Cloud has the Black Materia!" "Sephiroth is going to summon Meteor! Every single person is going to die!" (Rufus comes back in.) Rufus "Whatever I say now is too little... too late... We must evacuate." (They all turn to face Rufus.) Rufus "I want you all to come with me. There is still much more I want to hear." (The camera pans up to show Cloud preparing to hand the Black Materia to Sephiroth.) Red XIII "Cloud, NO! Stop! Please!" (Cloud holds his head in his hands for a moment. Then he begins to spin in midair, rising and falling, like a marionette.) Tifa "Cloud-----!!" (FMV sequence. The blue stone becomes a liquid, and Cloud pushes his hand, and the Black Materia into it. The Black Materia fuses with Sephiroth's body. His face maintains its expression of calmness as his whole body begins to spark with energy. The materia tree and the stone crumble to the ground as the others rush out of the cave and onto the airship. As the airship flies away, a beam of energy shoots from the northern craters, nearly knocking the party off the airship. As the beam grows and grows, we see what is inside it. The Weapon. It rises from the crater, dwarfing the airship as it releases a beam of pure energy from its maw. The Weapon creates a barrier of energy around it as it rockets off across the continent. The airship flies off.) Scene 103 - Origins - Sector 7 Train Station - (The screen is black. All we see is a tiny Cloud, floating in space.) Tifa "Cloud..." "Cloud..." (The tiny Cloud stands up and runs off into the blackness. Tifa runs onto the screen and chases him into the nothing.) Tifa "......I didn't know what else to do. I was always like that..." (The scene fades in to show the Sector 7 train station. It is raining. Cloud, his sword across his lap, slumps by the stairway to the train platform. The train conductor is looking down at him as Tifa enters.) "What's the matter?" (The screen flashes electrically white.) Cloud "ohhh..." "......poor kid." Cloud "Ooouugh......" (Tifa runs up to Cloud as the train conductor leaves.) Tifa "Are you all right?" Cloud "oo... uh... agh" (She kneels by him and tries to lift him up. The screen flashes electrically white again.) Cloud "Uh... uh... Tifa...?" (Again.) Cloud "Tifa...?" (Again. He stands.) Cloud "Tifa!" Tifa "...................?" (She brushes his face.) Tifa "Oh, Cloud!" (Cloud raises his sword in an offensive posture.) Cloud "That's right. I'm Cloud." Tifa "Is it really you, Cloud? I never thought I'd find you here!" Cloud "Yeah, it's been a while." Tifa "What happened to you? You don't look well." Cloud "......Yeah? It's nothing. I'm okay." (Tifa walks a short distance away. The screen flashes again. Cloud clutches his head, shaking, for a brief moment. He stops before Tifa turns around.) Tifa "How long has it been?" (The screen flashes again. Three times. He grabs his head, in pain, but Tifa does not seem to notice.) Cloud "Five years." Tifa "............" Cloud "What is it?" Tifa "...It's really been a long time." (The screen darkens, but does not disappear.) Tifa "Actually, it's been seven years." "You got your wish and joined SOLDIER, quit after the Sephiroth incident, and now you're a mercenary..." "You told me a lot about what happened after you left Nibelheim..." "But..." "...Something's wrong. I felt there was something strange about the things you talked about." "All the things you didn't know that you should. And other things you shouldn't know that you did..." "I wanted to make sure..." "But then I heard... you were going far away..." (The screen finally goes to black.) Tifa "And I didn't want that..." "I didn't know what to do. So, I thought I needed more time." "And that's why I told you about the AVALANCHE job. I wanted to be with you, watch you." (The screen goes white. We hear the cry of the planet we heard at Bugenhagen's observatory.) Scene 104 - Dark Sun - (The white screen fades in just enough to make out Tifa's form, lying on the floor, or a bed.) Tifa "Ding..." Barret "Huh? Tifa "The glare..." Barret "You'll be better soon. You've been asleep a long time." Tifa "I'm hungry..." Barret "Hey, why don't you ask?" "About him." (The scene fades the rest of the way in. Tifa has been lying on something resembling an operating table, in an auxiliary room in Junon. Slowly, she sits up. She looks at Barret, standing by the far wall.) Tifa "...Because I'm scared." Barret "Don't worry. I don't know what happened to Cloud either." (He scratches his head.) Barret "Guess I shouldn't tell you not to worry..." "None of them know if he's all right or not." Tifa "He's still... alive, right?" (A pause. Barret nods) Tifa "How long... was I asleep?" Barret "Lessee now...... Must've been about 7 days." Tifa "What about Sephiroth?" (Barret walks over to Tifa's bed.) Barret "You ain't over it yet. Remember that huge light, in the Northern Cave?" (Tifa swings her legs over so that she is sitting on the edge of the bed.) Barret "Since then, the crater's been surrounded by a huge barrier of light." "Everyone knows Sephiroth sleeps in that big hole, protected by the barrier." "We can't do a damn thing about it. We just gotta wait till he wakes up." (He faces a wall.) Barret "And on topa that, some huge monster called Weapon's been on a rampage." (She looks at Barret) Tifa "...Weapon?" (Barret turns to face her) Barret "Remember that huge monster that was made with Sephiroth, at the bottom of the crater?" "Well it's up here now. They say it's some legendary monster from the past." Tifa "Weapon... is protecting Sephiroth?" (He shakes his head.) Barret "Dunno. But he's up here goin' around tearin' shit up." "Right now Rufus' fightin' it. I hate to say it, but he's got guts." (He turns and walks away. Tifa hops off the bed.) Barret "We shoulda been the ones to destroy it, but we ain't got no time..." Tifa "Time..." (She turns to him.) Tifa "...Hey! How about Meteor?" (Barret doesn't say anything. Instead, he walks further away and presses a button. The window shades open up. FMV sequence. The camera sweeps past the room to the window, and past Barret's profile we see Meteor hanging in the sky like a dark sun.) Tifa "Do we have to give up?" Barret "...Dunno." (The door to the room slides open with a hiss and President Rufus walks in.) Rufus "I thought Cloud would show up to save you all..." "Professor Hojo wanted to check up on Cloud, too." Tifa "What are you going to do to Cloud?" Rufus "Sephiroth's alter ego..." (He flips his hair.) Rufus "Meteor has been summoned... Essentially, it's all but over now." "So, there's no need for you now." "No, maybe there is an important task for you..." (Heidegger enters behind Rufus.) Heidegger "President! Preparations for the public execution are complete." (Barret jumps) Barret "Execution!?" "What're ya gonna get by executin' us?" Rufus "You are to be executed for causing this situation." "People are ignorant. They'll feel better as long as someone is punished." (Barret runs forward, up to the President, trembling with rage.) Barret "I take back what little praise I had for this damn jackass!" (He straightens.) Rufus "Well, enjoy your last moments together." (With that, he turns and leaves.) Heidegger "I'll tie your arms now." (He does so. A guard leads Barret and Tifa through the Military Base Junon to the bottom floor, where the gas chamber awaits.) Scene 105 - Public Execution - Weapon Attacks - Camaderie - Cheating Death - Highwind - (Barret and Tifa are led, bound, to the bottom floor of Junon Military Base. To the gas chamber. They arrive at a large auditorium, with rows upon rows of seats available to watch the event. A rather large, round fellow sits in the front row. Scarlet speaks at a podium.) Scarlet "Is everyone here? These are the ones who brought this madness into the world!" (Several cameramen set up their cameras. Barret looks around at them) Barret "The hell are these people?" Scarlet "We will be broadcasting your miserable deaths live on national television." (The large fellow turns to her.) "Scarlet, why a public execution in this day and age?" (Scarlet walks a ways toward the gas chamber) Scarlet "With the chaos resulting from the Meteor reports, we desperately need to rally public support... it's better that we punish somebody, anybody." Tifa "You make me sick..." (Scarlet starts laughing. A cameraman moves forward to film her.) Scarlet "Ha, ha, ha, ha!" "They'll never admit it, but everyone loves this stuff!" (She turns to Tifa) Scarlet "We'll start with this girl." (Barret struggles against his cuffs.) Barret "If you've gotta do it... do me first!" Scarlet "Camera, this way! Make sure you get this, the audience just eats up tearful goodbyes!" (A cameraman films Barret. The scene fades in to the interior of the gas chamber. Tifa enters, followed by Scarlet. She kicks her toward the chair.) Tifa "What are you doing!?" (Scarlet moves so that Tifa is between her and the chair.) Scarlet "This is my special gas chamber. Take your time, and enjoy a slow, painful death." (A guard moves forward and removes Tifa's cuffs. Scarlet punches her into the chair. The guard fastens her in.) Scarlet "Stuck up ^%$#&!!" (She slaps Tifa again and leaves. The guard follows, but drops something on the way out. The scene fades back to the auditorium.) Scarlet "Well now, the show's about to begin. Ha, ha, ha!" (A red light floods the room and a siren begins to sound.) "Emergency! Emergency!" "Weapon's approaching! Attention all military personnel: take your positions!" "Oh no! It's Weapon!" (One person rushes out of the auditorium.) "Run!" (Everyone else follows except Barret, Scarlet, the round fellow, two guards, and, of course, Tifa.) Scarlet "Hey, hey, all of you!" "Damn! Why now?" (The big round one hops up to Scarlet.) "How does it feel now, Scarlet?" Scarlet "Hmm, so you didn't run? I'm impressed. How do I feel? Right now......" (With a sound of escaping gas, Scarlet passes out.) Scarlet "Nngaaaaaahhhh!" Barret "Huh!? Sleeping gas?" (The fellow spins around, shedding his coat. It's Cait Sith. The two guards ready their guns.) "Weirdo!!" (Fight sequence with the two guards) Cait Sith "I'm here to help!" Barret "Why you......? Ain't you part of Shinra?" (Cait Sith raises a paw) Cait Sith "Let's just say I'm against capital punishment. Besides... I hate this broad. Come on, we gotta help Tifa." "I'll keep watch at the entrance." (Cait Sith stands by the door while Barret runs to the gas chamber entrance. He grabs and pulls. It doesn't budge.) Barret "It won't open!" (The scene fades in to President Rufus' office. Rufus is standing by his desk, gazing out at the sea through a huge picture window. Heidegger comes rushing in.) Heidegger "It's Weapon." Rufus "There's been so many attacks lately. Can we handle it?" Heidegger "I believe so. Your orders?" Rufus "No need to ask." (Heidegger salutes. Three sailors dash in.) Heidegger "We'll give it a shot from our big cannon." (He turns to the sailors and thrusts his fist in the air) Heidegger "Open cannon doors!! Activate cannon. Target: Weapon!!" (He turns back to the President as the sailors run off. FMV sequence. Huge steel plates protect the buildings in the residential area. A huge port opens in the street by the sea; a smaller cannon extends from it. The huge main cannon rotates into place, aiming at the sea. Back in the office, one sailor comes back in and salutes.) "Preparations complete!" (Heidegger nods.) "The cannon..." (He thrusts his fist towards the bay window, to the sea.) "Fire----!!!" (FMV sequence. The cannon releases a huge burst of energy out at the sea. It recedes toward the horizon; a pregnant pause as we wait for it to hit its mark. It does. A large explosion rises from the water, sending a tidal wave in all directions. The FMV ends. The scene switches to the President's office. Heidegger slowly lowers his arm. The scene changes to several points around the Base; soldiers stand expectantly, waiting, watching the sea. The scene switches back to the office, panning up to show Rufus and Heidegger once more. Both stare out at the sea. Rufus turns his head.) Rufus "Did we get 'em?" Heidegger "Seems so..." (Another red alarm goes off through the base. Heidegger looks around, disoriented.) "Weapon approaching!" "Speed, 50 knots!" "It's heading right toward us!" (Heidegger looks at Rufus) Heidegger "It can't be! We hit it dead on!" (Rufus turns) Rufus "How about the cannon?" Heidegger "It'll take time to reload." Rufus "Then use regular firepower in the mean time!" (Heidegger runs toward the door and thrusts his fist in the air) Heidegger "Yes sir! Open all artillery doors! Target: Weapon! Don't let it land!" (FMV sequence. Weapon closes in through the water, fishlike, rising out of the water. Soldiers placed all around the Base fire their weapons. The smaller, secondary cannons fire energy bursts at the Weapon. None have any effect. It comes closer. Soldiers switch to their bazookas, sending trails of smoke towards the Weapon, ending in explosions. It continues, ripping a huge wake in its path. Inside the President's office, Rufus shakes his head in disbelief and steps back from the window.) "Speed: 70 knots!" "Weapon closing in!" "Not good! It's attacking!" (As Weapon almost reaches the base, the soldiers flee inside. One faints on the ground just before Weapon crashes into the base, creating an earthquake throughout. It slowly sinks back into the water. The scene switches back to the gas chamber. The gas jets turn on around Tifa.) Tifa "Gas!!" (She tries to cover her face with her arm.) Tifa "Barret, help!!" (Barret screams in from outside the chamber.) Barret "Hold your breath! Hold on as long as you can!" (She puts her head back and kicks her feet.) Tifa "Come on! I can't hold on forever!" (The scene switches back to the auditorium. Barret jerks on the door a few more times before giving up. He pounds the door with his fist in anger.) Barret "Shi-!" (He runs over to Cait Sith.) Barret "The Gas Room's probably locked from a different room!" Cait Sith "Hmm, we gotta go with a different plan. Let's get out of this room first." (Barret turns back to the chamber door.) Barret "Tifa! I'll help you, I promise!" (Barret and Cait Sith run out of the auditorium. The door slams behind them. Barret yanks on it.) Barret "No! They locked this too!" (Scarlet yells through the door.) Scarlet "Fools. Now, you can't save the girl." (Barret lets go of the door.) Scarlet "Ha, ha, ha, ha!!" (He bangs on the door.) Barret "Goddammit......!!" (He turns to Cait Sith.) Cait Sith "OK, OK time for Plan B. Let's run to the airport!" Barret "Why the airport? An' leave Tifa there?" Cait Sith "Trust me, trust me. We gotta take a chance." (They run off. Outside the base, they find a cameraman filming the action. As they try to pass, there is a huge flash of light. FMV sequence as Weapon rises out of the water, majestically deadly.) Barret "Damn, man!" (They continue to the airport. The airship hovers overhead.) Barret "Yo! You sure this is the right way? It's a dead end!" Cait Sith "Uh oh? Did I make a wrong turn?" (Barret throws his fists in the air) Barret "You damn cat......! What the hell're we gonna do now? They all be comin' soon!" (Barret turns to face the only way out and rubs his gun-arm.) Barret "Yo, better watch my back till the end... partner!" (He raises his gun. The scene switches back to the gas chamber. Tifa is still alive. She uses her feet to grab the item the guard dropped before- a key. She uses her teeth to unlock one hand, then the other. She rises from the chair.) Tifa "Which button stops the gas...?" (Covering her face, she presses the button by the chair, shutting off the gas. She tries the door with all her strength, but it doesn't budge.) Tifa "Open it---......" (There is a sudden explosion. FMV sequence. Outside, the Weapon pulls itself up to its full height. It shakes violently as its maw begins to glow, brighter and brighter, then releases a beam of pure energy at the Base. It lands on one tower, ripping a giant hole in the side of. The hole opens into the gas chamber. Weapon begins to gather energy for another salvo. A split second before it releases its beam, the Junon cannon- the Sister Ray- fires square in its face. As the smoke clears, we see the Weapon, sans head, sink into the ocean. The scene switches back to the gas chamber. There is a huge hole opening onto the side of the tower. Scarlet yells through the door.) Scarlet "What d'you do? Hey! Open it!" Tifa "First you lock me in this weird place, and now you're telling me to come out? Make up your mind!" (She climbs through the hole out onto the side of the tower, then nimbly begins to descend the side of it. Scarlet and her guards give chase, without much success. The guards lose their grip and tumble past Tifa to the ground. She jumps the last twenty feet or so and lands in a heap. Picking herself up, she runs blindly away. The only route available is directly onto the top of the Sister Ray. She arrives at the end. There is no way out except down.) Scarlet "Our little game of hide and seek ends here." (Scarlet catches up with Tifa. She stands between Tifa and the only exit.) Scarlet "The execution may have been unsuccessful, but your death by falling from here and crashing into the water below might be pretty exciting." (She walks up to Tifa and slaps her.) Scarlet "Stuck up to the end!" Tifa "Quit slapping me! You old wench!" (Tifa, controlled by the PLAYER, slaps back. Tifa and Scarlet exchange slaps and insults until Scarlet falls on her rear end.) Scarlet "God! I can't stand it!" (She stands and faces the way she came.) Scarlet "Take her away." (A guard comes onto the Sister Ray. Scarlet turns back to Tifa.) Scarlet "Now it's time to pay up. I'll really drop you if you don't settle down!" (She laughs) Scarlet "Ha, ha, ha, ha!" "Run..." (A voice comes from somewhere up above. Tifa looks up) "Run to the end of the Cannon!!" (Tifa does. FMV sequence. When she reaches the end of the cannon, she sees the Shinra airship rising before her. Barret stands on deck, waving to her. He grabs a rope and tosses it over the side. Tifa makes a running leap for it, but misses. She falls toward the ocean, but catches the rope at the very end as it swings toward her. The airship flies off, into the sunset.) Scene 106 - Highwind Takes To the Skies - (Tifa, Barret, and Cait Sith stand on the deck of the Shinra airship.) Barret "You okay?" (Tifa nods) Tifa "My cheeks hurt a bit." "Forget about that, what's this all about?" (They both turn to Cait Sith.) Cait Sith "Well, I'll catch the details later." "In any case, the Airship, Highwind, is now yours." (Barret and Cait Sith go below deck. Tifa follows. When she catches up, she finds them standing on a wire walkway.) Barret "Dammit! Why didn't you tell me you could fly an airship?" (He turns away, shaking his head.) Barret "I thought...... Tifa was gone for good." Cait Sith "Sorry, but I had to do something to trick the enemy." "Come on! Everyone is waiting!" (The camera pans over to show Tifa. She jumps up) Tifa "Everyone? Everyone's here?" (She follows them into the main navigation room. Cid comes jogging up to her) Cid "Welcome to my airship- the Highwind!" (She walks up and looks around the room, without a word.) Cid "What's wrong!? You should be more excited than that!" (Red XIII, sitting by some steps, shakes his head.) Red XIII "Cid......" (Cid rubs his head.) Cid "Yeah......" (He turns to Tifa. She shakes her head.) Tifa "Not enough crew." People on the Highwind Cid "Well, it takes all kinds." Cait Sith "Tifa, I'll give you information Shinra." "Ask me if there's anything you don't understand." "Whenever anyone talks to me, I get all nervous and mess things up!" (Cid yells at him) Cid "Hey you! What the hell are you doin'!?" "All we have to do is just pilot. They don't have to talk to us." Red XIII "Do you think we aren't strong enough without Cloud?" "Do you think we can't save the Planet alone?" (Barret comes running over) Tifa "Meteor is coming, and Weapon is on the rampage......" "At a time like this, I don't know what I'm supposed to do......" (She shakes her head.) Tifa "No idea at all......" (Cid dashes over to the pilot) Barret "Get a hold of yourself Tifa! C'mon, let's think about this!" "No way we can get offa this train we're on!" Tifa "......If only Cloud was here, everything would be fine." "Cloud would......" "Stand that cocky little way he did, and tell us what to do." (She nods) Tifa "He'd say, 'Everything's under control, Tifa.'" (She turns away) Barret "Tifa! When'd you become such a wimp!" Tifa "I'm sorry Barret." "I'm kind of shocked myself. I'm so depressed." (Barret beats his chest and runs off) Red XIII "And Tifa...... the reason why we all thought it was Cloud was because......" (She nods) Tifa "......I know." "That's why I want to make sure. That's why I have to see him again." Cid "I want you to know that I didn't dislike him." "Gotta admit he was a strange dude." "Just when you thought he was cool, he'd go and do some damn fool thing." "And when you thought he was smart, he'd show how stupid he was." (He rubs his head) Cid "Everything about him from his movements to his speech were kinda odd." "Knowin' what I do now, I can see why he was that way." "Well, as long as you stay alive, you just might see him again someday, so cheer up, sis." (He laughs. Tifa nods) Tifa "......I'll be able to see him someday." Cid "If we can find out where he is, the Highwind'll get us there in no time." (Red XIII bounds up) Red XIII "......Maybe" "Cloud is still stuck deep in the North Crater, where the ground cracked and swallowed him up......" "Buried in the depths of the underground......" Tifa "Deep within the earth... are you talking about the Lifestream?" Red XIII "The Lifestream sometimes gushes out to the surface from cracks in the ocean floor." "I heard that such a place exists." (He sits back down by the stairs.) Red XIII "Maybe, just maybe Cloud's......" Pilot in training (LV3) "Waaaah! Captain Cid!" Cid "Tifa, sorry, but I've gotta show this moron how to land the ship." "Don't worry, it'll be done in a minute." "Oh, and Tifa......" "No matter what your goal is, you've got to be prepared." "Go to your room and get ready for our operation." Barret "What? Does Cloud always gotta be around?......" "We did fine without him in the beginning......" "Right? An' what happened to tough girl I used to know? Where'd she go to?" Cid "I put a lot of things for the operation in your room, so go get them in order." "My hands are full, so I'll excuse myself here!" Fly Airship Chew the fat ***Tifa Fly Airship (You get flying intructions) "So things have come to this... When you want to take off, just tell the pilot on the bridge." ***Tifa Chew the fat "......Well......... Um, what should I talk about?" "Wanna hear why we rebelled?" Listen Don't care ***Tifa Listen "Working on the Highwind, we spent every day slaving under Heidegger." "Whenever he got yelled at by the President, he'd immediately take it out on the crew." "We put up with this all the time. Even when he beat us." "I mean, I finally made it on the crew of the famous Highwind, and there's no way I was going to quit over him." "Let's see, it must've been a week ago... it was my shift and we were heading towards the North Cave." "Everyone, including the President and Scarlet, got on." "And with them, I saw Cid, a legendary pilot!" "And he was looking around the inside of the ship looking really, y'know, nostalgic......" "He even talked to us." "I couldn't believe it! I was so impressed! He was every bit as warmhearted as we'd always heard." "Cid said that if he had the Highwind, things would be a lot easier." "And now here we are off to save the Planet. It's true. He really overwhelmed me." "And that's why we decided to help." "After the North Cave, we went to Junon, and I started screaming 'Fire! Fire!'" "In the middle of all the commotion, we stole this ship from the Shinra." "That's how it happened. ......Just a minor mutiny against our leaders." "But Barret and you were captured by Heidegger......" "We waited seven days for a chance to rescue you guys, before we finally could." "So thanks to our successful mission, we were able to see you again." "I hope I didn't bore you too much with that long story." "I'm bored...... I'd like to ride a Chocobo." How do I? Later ***Tifa How do I? "Listen...... you gotta ride in on a Chocobo once you've raised yourself" "Then, if you bring your Chocobo to this stable, I'll take care of it for you." "I'll take care of it for you." "What? How do you raise a Chocobo? Can't say I know much about that." "If you want to know about raising Chocobo, there's a Chocobo ranch near Midgar. You should ask them." ***Tifa Later "Whew......" (Tifa goes to the operation room.) "Tifa, thank you for a job well done!" (You can choose your party here. After choosing your party, Tifa goes to the pilot and takes off.) Scene 107 - Mideel - Mind of a Friend - (Tifa pilots the Highwind to the southernmost continent, to the town of Mideel.) People in Mideel "Ahoy! Hey ain't you a beaut. This here's Mideel. It's a quiet little Hot Springs town." "Just the perfect place for old folks like us to live out our lives." "I hear that things ain't so peaceful on the outside. But here it's still nice and quiet." "But anyhow, that overgrown moon is going to fall down on us isn't it?" "This's no joke! We've got to start stocking up on supplies before they're all gone!" "Outta the way! Hey, move it, move it!" "Welcome! We always welcome cash! What can I help you with today?" (Sells items) "Thank you! Come again!" "Huh? Never seen you here before. You from outta town? How're things on the outside?" "Between the earthquakes and Meteor...... it just might be the end of the world like everyone's been saying'..." "Oh, how depressing! What a miserable world this is......" "You again! You aren't here hoarding up goods too are you?" "Don't reach in front of me! Everything in this store is mine!" "I've got money to burn! I've been saving like mad just for a time like this!" "C'mon, outta the way! Move, will you, move!" "Welcome, this store! Very rest and recreation shop. Where you go?" "Oh no, other customer take up everything. Not leave anything for you..." "...gah, hah, hah... dassa joke! So where you go?" (Sells materia) "Thank very much! You come 'gain." "Gather 'round, gather 'round, this is a bargain!!" "We've got the best armor and weapons, the likes of which you won't find anywhere else." "But it's first come first served, so get yours now!" "Step right up! You there, don't just stand around outside." "Go on in! Come on! Don't be shy, step right up!" "I'll never know why he wanted to open a store in a dead town like this. What's up with him......? ...sigh......" "Oh...... there's not much time left!! You never know when that moon is gonna come crashing down!!" "When it all comes down to it, this world's about money and material things!" "If you got 'em, you can get by whenever, wherever!" "Gotta buy!! Gotta buy, buy, buy!! I'm gonna shop till I drop!" "Welcome to the charity store, a store of love and courage! What can I get you today?" (Sells weapons) "Thank you very much! Please come again." "Everything must come to an end. And someday it's gonna be your turn. Even the world's gotta end sometime." "Everybody leaves at one time or another. And everyone gets left also. That's just fate..." "It's sad, but there's nothing that can be done about it. So that's why I'm prayin' like this for all of you." "You say you don't know when the stars are gonna fall outta the sky? Is that for real?" "I still don't believe it! How could this be happen?" "Ancient Weapon? End of the world? I don't know nothing about that! I'm gonna live to be a hundred!" "There's tons of stuff I still gotta do! This's just ths beginning." "And what have Shinra and SOLDIER done about it? Tell me! They're a waste!!" "Actually, I'm a beautiful maid. I just work here in the accessory store part-time." "Everything here can compare with the best goods anywhere. So, how about one?" (Sells accessories) "Thank you. Stop by again." (Tifa hears a small squeak when she steps on a spot next to a house. She bends down) Tifa "Huh......? What could that be?" "There's something stuck deep inside that looks like a key... it's hard to get out." "Well, I'll just let it go for now......" (Tifa moves further into the town. She sees a small dog sitting in the shadows.) Tifa "What's the matter? Are you all alone?" (He whimpers. She kneels down by him.) Tifa "You got lost didn't you? Separated from someone you love......? Silly thing..." (She overhears two men talking next to a small house across the street.) "......guess it's been about a week now since he washed up here on the shore... Poor pokey-headed young thing..." (The camera pans up to them.) "It was really sad...... but weird. He was holding this really long sword." "I dunno. The whole thing feels unlucky to me. But the amazing thing was those weird blue eyes....." Tifa "Wha!?" (She runs over to them) Tifa "Wh...... wait a minute!! What did you just say!?" "Excuse me! That young person you were just talking about......" "Yeah... a villager found him a little ways down the coast... It was about a week ago I think." "Yeah, poor kid... He must've drifted from somewhere pretty far away..." Tifa "Cloud!! It must be!! It's Cloud!!" Cid "Heh, good job, Tifa." Barret "You sure!?" Tifa "So where is he? Is he safe!? Where is he now......?" (One of them points up ahead.) "Yeah... up ahead here... At the, uh, clinic......" Tifa "He's alive...!" "Cloud...... Cloud's alive!!" "Cloud!!" (She dashes off to the clinic.) Barret "Uh....? Yo, Tifa!" (Tifa arrives in the clinic.) Tifa "Cloud!?" (A doctor turns to face her.) Doctor "Here now. The way you're running around here, you'd think Meteor fell or something." Tifa "I'm sorry, but I heard that a friend of mine was being taken care of here......" (He crosses his arms) Doctor "A friend...?" (He nods) Doctor "Oh yeah......! That young fellow!?" "Don't worry. Your friend is next door. But I'm afraid his condition is..." (Tifa turns her head towards a small room, separate only by a thin curtain) Tifa "Here?" (She nods) Tifa "Over here." (She runs into the next room. A nurse is taking care of someone in a wheelchair, hidden behind her.) Tifa "Cloud...!?" (The nurse moves. We see that the person in the wheelchair is indeed Cloud. His head is in his lap. The others come running in.) Tifa "Oh... Cloud!! I'm so glad you're safe!?" (She runs up to him. Cloud raises his head to meet her... and it falls down again. His head bobs like a children's toy. He looks around as if confused.) Tifa "......!?" "Cloud......?" Cloud "Uh...... aaa......?" (His head continues to bob, cretinous.) Tifa "Wh...... what's wrong...... Cloud......?" Cloud "A...... Gurk......?" (She shakes her head.) Tifa "Cloud! What happened to you.....!?" (The doctor crosses his arms.) Doctor "Mako poisoning...... Quite an advanced case......" "It appears this young man's been exposed to a high level of Mako energy for a protracted period of time." "He probably has no idea who or where he is now......" "Poor fellow, his voice doesn't even work. He is literally miles away from us." "Some place far away where no one's ever been... All alone......" (He shakes his head.) Tifa "Doctor......!!" Cid "Damn...... that's evil." Barret "That's bad......" Tifa "Cloud......" (She kneels in front of him.) Doctor "Ahem! Let us excuse ourselves." (He turns to the others.) Doctor "Listen, would you all mind......... waiting outside?" Barret "........." (They all leave Tifa alone with Cloud. The screen dims slightly. Tifa leans her head against his knees, crying.) Tifa "Why......? What do you want me to do?" "Please, Cloud...... Talk to me......" "Tell me you see me, that you can hear me...... Tell me, please......" (Cloud just bobs his head.) Tifa "I came this far believing in the memories we have together..." "This isn't happening......! This is too cruel......" (She shakes her head.) Tifa "Oh, Cloud......! I........." (The screen fades to black.) (The scene fades in. Everyone waits outside the clinic for Tifa.) Barret "So what about him? You know...... Cloud?" (The doctor crosses his arms.) "I'll say it again, he's got Mako poisoning. I've never seen a case this bad..." "An immense amount of Mako-drenched knowledge was put into his brain all at once......" "No normal human could have survived it...... It's a miracle he did!" Barret "No wonder...... After fallin' in the Lifestream an' bein' washed up here........." "But remember, the light of hope can be found anywhere." "Listen, if you give up hope... What will happen to him?" (He turns away.) Barret "......hope......" "Hey, but honestly, man...... Do I really want him to come back?" "What did he do for this world? What can he do for us from here on out? He may be nothing more than Sephiroth's shadow......" "Is something wrong?" (He turns to the doctor.) Barret "No, nothin'. Nothin' at all, doc." (Tifa comes out of the clinic.) Tifa "........." (All turn to face her.) Barret "You okay?" Tifa "Yes...... I'm sorry I had you all worried." "And I have something I want to tell you all......" (She goes back into the clinic. Everyone follows her. When the others arrive inside, Tifa is standing near Cloud, facing away.) Tifa "I don't care about anything else, only Cloud......" (She turns to face them.) Tifa "I...... want to be by his side......" Cid "Yeah. Right. Hang in there, Tifa." Barret "Yeah, that's probably best......" "For Cloud...... an' for you......" (She nods, but doesn't bring her head back up, looking at the floor.) Tifa "I'm sorry, everyone... At a time like this......" (She looks up.) Cid "Don't worry. I'll stop by again sometime." Barret "You take care now, Tifa. And take care of Cloud." Tifa "Right......" (He turns to leave, then looks at Tifa over his shoulder.) Barret "Oh, and uh, Tifa... I don't like askin' this but......" "Is he really your childhood friend? And not Sephiroth's shadow?" (She looks at Cloud) Tifa "Huh!? Well... that is......" (She shakes her head) Tifa "No, I'm sure of it!" (He nods.) Barret "Yeah......? Okay then...... Sorry for askin' that." Cid "Now, we gotta be headin' back to the Highwind." (Barret nods. The scene fades to black.) Scene 108 - Shinra's Plans - Cid's Election - (The party is gathered on the bridge of the Highwind. Barret gazes out the front bay window; Cid sits sprawled on the floor.) Barret "What're we gonna do now? What can WE do?" (He turns.) Barret "Huh? Ain't there nothin' we can do?" "An' don' go tellin' us to wait for Cloud to get better." Cait Sith "Oh, I've got some news." Barret "Yeah, what!? That you a spy?" (He walks up to Barret.) Cait Sith "Yeah...... I've already told you I was." (He turns away.) Cait Sith "Both Gya ha ha and Kya ha ha are up to something." "Wanna eavesdrop?" (The scene fades to black. It fades back in to the Shinra board room. Heidegger and Palmer are seated at the table. Reeve stands in the background. President Rufus flips his hair, then turns to face them.) Rufus "Now then...... We're faced with two issues." "1. Destroy Meteor. 2. Remove the barrier around North Cave and defeat Sephiroth." (He points at them.) Rufus "Any ideas?" Heidegger "Gya haah hah hah! We already solved the first problem!" "Meteor will soon be smashed to bits!" "The plan has already been put in motion. Namely, to collect Huge Materia from each region." Rufus "Well......" (Scarlet enters.) Scarlet "Huge Materia is a high density special type of materia made through a special compression process in Mako reactors." (She makes an "I caught a fish THIS BIG" pose) Scarlet "The energy extracted from it is 330 times the strength of normal materia." "Ha, ha, ha! How about that!?" (She crosses her arms and faces the others) Scarlet "We will gather all the Huge Materia together and ram it into Meteor." (She looks at Rufus) Scarlet "That will cause a huge explosion!! Reducing Meteor literally to bits." Rufus "You're going to ram into Meteor?" "Do you think we have the technology to do it?" Scarlet "Don't worry about that!" "More importantly, we've got to collect Huge Materia from each area." Heidegger "We've already collected materia from Nibelheim." "All that's left is "Corel" and "Fort Condor"." "I've already dispatched troops to Corel." "Ghaa haah hah hah!" (The scene fades to black, then back to the bridge of the Highwind.) Barret "Corel!" "What else can they do to Corel!?" Red XIII "And the Huge Materia......" "You mean the Huge Materia, don't you? I've heard about it." "When our small materia hears the larger one, something should happen." "I'm certain of it." "That's why we're using the power of materia in our fight......" Barret "Can't let Shinra get a hold of the Huge Materia!" "Besides, when Cloud gets back, I wanna show him his Huge Materia. He's gonna be shocked." (Cait Sith bounds up to Barret) Cait Sith "So, what are you saying, Barret?" "Even though you're always knocking him, you really want Cloud to return." (Barret turns to watch the clouds for a moment, then back to Cait Sith.) Barret "I ain't sayin' nothin' 'bout nothin'. You just... shut your face!" "Every group's gotta have a leader." (He beats his chest) Barret "An' that's me!" "Or at least I wanna be... But I ain't cut out to be no leader." "I never knew that till lately." (He walks toward Cid, then looks at the window) Barret "An' that's what is......" (Cait Sith hops away, surprised) Cid "......ZZZZ...... hmph?" (Cid shakes his head and stands up) Cid "Wha? What's goin' on?" (Barret nods) Barret "You been chosen to be the new leader." Cid "Pain in the ass. Forget it." Barret "But for us to fight, we gotta have Highwind, and you." (He sweeps his gun-arm) Barret "We need it to save the Planet. An' who's runnin' this ship? You!" "That's why you're our new leader. Ain't no one else can." (Cid considers...) Cid "Hm..... this ship's gonna save the Planet, huh? Ain't that gonna be just a little tough?" (He rubs his head) Cid "Oh man, that went straight to my heart." "I'm a man, too!" "Okay, I'll do it! Everyone, follow me!" (Barret nods) Barret "Awright, now here's the first job." "The Operation Room's waiting for you!" Cid "Yeah!!" (He practically scampers off to the the Operation Room. Barret runs after him) Barret "Yo, Cid!" "When you're ready, we're headin' for the Corel Reactor. C'mon Mr. leader, you'd better hurry." Scene 109 - Corel's Huge Materia - People on the Highwind "Looks like you turned out to be the leader after all, Captain......" "Good day, Captain!" Cait Sith "Hmmn, the Huge Materia is at Corel, Fort Condor......" "I'm sure there was another place that had it. Where was that......?" Red XIII "Cid." "Let's visit Cloud and Tifa from time to time." Barret "Yo, Mr. Leader! Get your pilot ass up here!" (Cid pilots the Highwind to North Corel.) People in North Corel "Shinra soldiers came around sayin' they were gatherin' up all the Huge Materia." "I think they're gonna bring it here by coal train, from the Corel Reactor." "Hey, what's gonna happen to the world...?" "I guess no one wants to have fun anymore now that the Gold Saucer is closing..." "The next train's coming in soon." "With Meteor coming, I guess it won't make any difference..." "I want to leave this garbage dump of a town behind me, and start a new life." "If I had a buggy, I'd cross the southern desert, and go to that town across the river..." "Everyone knows that accident couldn't have been avoided." "But no one will be satisfied until someone takes the blame." "There was something glowing in that well over there." "If I can get my hands on it, I'm gonna sell it and go to the Gold Saucer!" (Cid heads north to the Corel Reactor. Two Shinra guards at the entrance accost them.) "You guys are...!" (Battle sequence with the two guards) Cid "Guess we're safe for now...!" (We hear the sound of a train whistle.) Red XIII "Ohh!" Barret "Da---mn!" (They scatter to avoid the train as it rumbles out of the reactor towards Corel.) Cid "Looks like they're takin' off with the Huge Materia in that train!" Barret "NO! You damn boneheads!" Red XIII "Did the Shinra beat us!?" Cid "Hey, do you know who I am?" "I'm Cid - that's who the hell I am! Now just let me handle it!" (They follow Cid as he runs into the Reactor. We hear another train whistle.) Cid "Hey, hey, hey, hey---!" (Another small train, driven by Cid, trundles out of the reactor in pursuit. The scene switches to the engineer's compartment.) Barret "How can they even drive this?" Cid "Don't ask me... I don't know!" Barret "What!?" (Cid grabs the levers in front of him) Cid "Don't worry! I can handle this kinda stuff!" "Two levers; one on the right and one on the left..." (He flips the levers) Cid "I see, just alternate the two levers up and down, right!?" "Judging from the enemy's speed, I'd say it'll take about 10 minutes." "We're gonna fly!! Hold on tight!!" (Cid, controlled by the PLAYER, begins to alternately flip the levers back and forth. The train gains speed until it catches up with the enemy train on the other track.) Cid "All right! We're gonna jump!!" (The party makes a flying leap and lands on the last car of the train. They leap from car to car, battling minibosses, until they reach the head locomotive. A Shinra soldier is piloting the train.) "What the! You... you guys!" Cid "All right-- Just hand over the Huge Materia!" "Sh......" "Whooooa----!" (Battle sequence with the Shinra soldier) Cid "You got guts comin' after me!" "I'll never forget you!" Barret "Got no time for that now!" Red XIII "We got it going, but what about the brakes?" Cid "I KNOW, already! Just shut up and keep quiet! If we keep this up, we'll crash right into North Corel!" "Let's see... if we alternately use the levers to accelerate..." "It should brake if we move the levers up or down simultaneously!" (Cid, controlled by the PLAYER, moves both levers up. The train gains speed.) Barret "Hey, it's not working!" Red XIII "We're gaining speed!" Cid "^%#@! The other way!? Just watch, this time, I'll..." (He moves both levers down. The train gains more speed.) Barret "Hey... HEY HEY!" Cid "SHI-------!!" (He jams both levers down once more until they snap off. FMV sequence as the train rolls to a stop scant inches from North Corel. Cid receives the Huge Materia.) People in North Corel "You sure are brave. I'm impressed!" "You guys are really something!" (The camera pans over to show many citizens of North Corel come out of their homes to meet the party.) "Aren't you the ones that stopped the Shinra Train?" "The Shinra was just about to destroy our lives again..." "It might be full of junk, but this is the only home we got, Barret!!" Barret "Of... of course! We're all born and raised in the coal mines!!" "No matter how tough it gets, our hearts burn bright red like coal!" "To hell with Meteor! We're Coal Miners, ain't we?" "We'll dig a deep tunnel and hide from the Meteor!" "That's it!" (One of them turns to a small child standing by the well.) "Hey, kid! How about givin' somethin' to these guys fighting the Shinra?" (He nods and comes down to meet the party.) "I got it out of the well. Isn't it an amazing rock!!" (He gives you the Ultima materia and retreats.) "Must've been a horrific battle. You have scars all over your body." "I already talked to the Inn's owner, today you can rest for free." (They stay the night at the Inn.) People in North Corel "Whenever I look up in the sky, I see Meteor staring me right in the face......" "If you're comin' down, then hurry up do it!! 'Cause I'm gonna kick the $#@& outta ya!" "What the? Don't get hit by the train!" "You saved my life. Not that I have much longer to live anyway..." "When I grow up, I'm gonna travel the world collecting glowing stones!" "I figure if I stay alive long enough, something good's bound to happen." (They leave Corel.) Scene 110 - Fort Condor's Huge Materia - (Cid and the party travel to Fort Condor A huge, majestic bird perches atop it. A doorman greets them as they arrive.) "We've been fighting the Shinra for a long time at this battlefield." "Even now, we're still settled in for a long war with them." "If you aren't in a hurry, would you help us fight them?" "Listen I don't want to push but, if you've got something else to do, why don't you finish that first?" Like to help but... I guess we'll help you ***Cid Like to help but... "All right then...... Take care of yourselves..." ***Cid I guess we'll help you "Really!? Then go on up and they'll fill you in on the details." (He runs inside the fort. Cid follows.) (Climbing a rope ladder, Cid enters the main room of Fort Condor, where they meet an older man sitting at a wood table.) "Hmmn, now this is something. I never thought anyone would climb up here." "Any minute now, this will be a battlefield against Shinra. You'd better get down before you get involved." Cid "A battlefield, we can't overlook that." Barret "Shinra? The hell those jackasses doing here?" Red XIII "Shinra again." "It appears you have a problem with Shinra, too. After all, you climbed up here." "Why not listen to what I have to say for a moment?" Cid "All right, talk on!" "Do you know what's at the top of this mountain?" Barret "Huh? Something's up there?" Cid "No matter how you look at it, that's a reactor. And on top of it, is that the Condor?" "I can see you're very perceptive. Yes, it's a reactor and a condor." "Looks like there's a special materia up in the Mako reactor." "Then came the condor, so Shinra dispatched the troops to get rid of it." "Their plan is to get rid of the condor and the people on this mountain and to get the materia from the Mako Reactor." "Unfortunately, we don't have the ability to fight Shinra ourselves." "That's why we have hired soldiers to help us." "As our sponsor you can help us with a contribution or by fighting alongside of us..." "What do you think? You want to join us in our fight?" Cid "If you go that far, what can I say. Well, we'll be able to do something if you leave it to us." Barret "Hey! We'll come to the rescue." Red XIII "Got it. I'm gonna lend a hand, too." (They set off.) People in Fort Condor "I'm begging you. Please prevent the reactor from being destroyed and the condors from being killed." "Hello. Do your best. We will, too." (Sells materia) "You hang in there!" (Sells items) (The party climbs another rope ladder to the top floor. A lookout surveys the area outside through a window.) "So shall I let you in on our strategy?" "The enemy is targeting this mountain's reactor and will be climbing to reach it." "We must set a trap and hire soldiers to protect the place." "Well, this is all we have...... this village doesn't have any money. Even if we wanted to fight, our hands are tied 'cause we're broke." "To hire one soldier, we need 400 gil. So, if we have 20 soldiers, we must have 8000 gil." "That is, we would like you to use your own money to hire these soldiers, buy the trap, set it up and give the commands." "We know that we're asking is selfish. We sent out our wives and kids to another village. We are resigned to our fate." "Let's get it back to square one. If the enemy penetrates this shed, you'll have to fight them off immediately." "I know it's a one shot deal, but I'm asking for your help." "Now then, is there anything you wish to ask?" (Here you may get full instructions on how to play this minigame.) "Ready?" Wait Okay, ready Hear more ***Cid Wait ***Cid Okay, ready (The battle begins.) ***Cid Hear more (Cid gets the intructions again) "This is the deciding battle. The enemy numbers more than ever before." (The battle begins. This minigame is a Warcraft-style real-time strategy game, in which you buy your own soldiers and attack the enemy, trying to prevent them from reaching the top of the fort. It's a long battle, but eventually they win. The scene shifts back to the lookout post.) "YES! We did it! That was wonderful! Thank you!! I doubt Shinra will attack now." (The watchman laughs, then spins to look out the window.) "A, arrgghh......" (FMV sequence. The sky around the Fort darkens, and the egg the condor is protecting cracks, then hatches. A sphere of light envelops the condor, then it bursts into flame. The energy fades, and the condor screeches and tumbles off the side of the tower.) "Th, that light just now...... The condor...... The eggs......" "What!? Would you go outside and see what it was?" (Cid goes out to the roof of the tower. He finds that the egg has indeed hatched, and a not-so-tiny baby condor is sitting in the now-empty nest. Cid grabs a Pheonix summon materia from the ground. The baby chirps, flaps its wings, and clumsily takes flight. Cid goes back inside.) "Gone..." "Be sure and report to my father, too." (Cid goes back downstairs and speaks with the man seated at the table.) "Everyone, thanks. I really mean it. Thanks." "Although there isn't anything we can give you, we'll make sure you can stop in and stay any time, so be sure to drop by." "Yes, yes, and there's one thing I forgot to tell you......" (He gives Cid the Huge Materia.) Cid "Huh? What's this?" Barret "Damn man, it's Huge Materia." "The truth is, this is the matera inside the reactor." Cid "What the hell did we fight for?" "We weren't protectin' the reactor, we were protectin' the condors." "When that reactor was built, they forced us to help. That's how we knew what was inside the reactor." "I knew this day would come, so after the Shinra left, I sneaked in and took the materia." "I didn't mean to fool you, but I guess that's how it ended up. I'm really sorry." Cid "Just forget about it. Anyway, we're still alive." "I see. If you put it that way...... we're really grateful." Cid "So the last Huge Materia that Shinra's after's in the underwater reactor in Junon?" Barret "We gotta get there first and beat'em no matter what!" Cid "But ya know, Shinra's probably on high alert since we always mess with 'em." "How 'bout we take a break and go see that little fella for a bit?" Barret "You mus' mean Cloud......" Cid "Yeah, I'm worried aobut Tifa; she may've collapsed takin' care of the guy." "How about checkin' on 'em? Down to Mideel!" (Several thousand gil poorer but one Huge Materia richer, they leave Fort Condor and head to Mideel.) Scene 111 - Weapon Attacks - Lifestream Revisited - (Cid and the others arrive in Mideel. The first sound that meets their ears is that of the homeless dog's whimpering. It comes trotting up to them as soon as they arrive and rolls over at their feet. They hurry to the clinic; the dog following close behind.) Doctor "I'm sorry...... But your friend's condition remains unchanged......" "You'll have to be patient and wait this out. These things take time. Just like fine wine, time is of the essence." (They go to the next room. Tifa still watches over Cloud. Cloud still bobs his head.) Tifa "......It's no use...... I don't understand a thing, Cloud." "What should I do......? What if you never recover for the rest of your life?" (A huge earthquake shakes the area. Tifa falls down.) Tifa "Eyaaah!?" (Cloud slowly lifts his head up.) Cloud "......They're...... They're...... coming......!!" (Cid spins to face him) Cid "What did you say, Cloud!?" Cloud "Uh...... aaa......?" (Cid spins toward the doorway.) Cid "Damn. What the hell's goin' on!?" (He rushes out, passing the doctor and nurse, taking a duck-and-cover position. Outside, the entire area quakes and flashes randomly red and yellow.) Cid "What's this...!?" "The Lifestream is gushing up from below the surface of the earth!" (The planet cries.) Cid "Damn, that's......!? This is bad.....!!" (Tifa comes running out of the clinic) Tifa "Cid......!? What's wrong?" Cid "N, nothin'!! You and Cloud get inside quick!!" Tifa "But I......!?" (He crosses his arms.) Cid "Hey, don't worry about a thing. I ain't about to die that easily." Tifa "Be careful...!" (She turns and runs back inside.) Cid "Okay, here I go! Watch this!!" (Cid runs to the town square. The camera moves to show the Ultimate Weapon circling in the sky overhead.) Cid "Damn!! That &%$^%$ Weapon!!" "Of all the times to show up......!" (The camera pans up toward the Weapon.) Cid "OK then, come on!! You &$^%$!" (Boss battle with the Ultimate Weapon) (The camera pans to show the Weapon circle once more, lazily, then mosey off.) Cid "You &^$#&$#! You tryin' to escape?" (The Weapon releases one more cry and flash of energy before departing. The camera pans back down to the party.) Barret "Damn, man. Just a little bit more an' I wouldda smashed him......" Red XIII "It looks like the Lifestream has settled as well." (The ground begins to quake once more. Cid shakes his head) Cid "Damn, you gotta be kiddin'......!!" (The ground begins to quake more violently as the screen flashes more chaotically than before.) Cid "Th, this's bad......! The main stream is kickin' up!!" "Somethin' way bigger that that last one is on its way!!" "No good!! Get outta here......!!" Red XIII "But what about Tifa and Cloud!?" Cid "Goddammit!!" "You don't have time to worry about anyone other than yourself! You don't know when that stream'll blow......" (Something in the ground gives with a bang.) Cid "Whoa!!" "There's no time, hurry!!" (They all go sprinting out of the town. Cid stops and turns before leaving) Cid "Tifa!! Cloud!! Get outta here!!" (The scene fades back to the clinic. Tifa turns) Tifa "This is bad...... The tremors are getting worse." (She turns to Cloud, his head bobbing frantically.) Tifa "Wait a minute, Cloud." (She runs into the main room, the nurse still duck-and-covering.) Tifa "Doctor! Shouldn't we move him somewhere rather than stay here...?" (The doctor nods) Doctor "Hmm...... It might be safer to take refuge in a wide open space." (Tifa runs back in and kneels in front of Cloud.) Tifa "Don't you worry about a thing, Cloud......" "I'll see to it that you get somewhere safe!" (He bobs his assent. The Weapon roars from outside.) Doctor "No! The structure can't take it!! Hurry!" Tifa "Yes!" (She gets up and runs around behind Cloud's wheelchair.) Tifa "Ready Cloud? We're leaving now!!" (Bob bob. Tifa wheels him out. FMV sequence as Tifa wheels Cloud out of Mideel. The ground behind them cracks, then collapses, the gaps following them closer and closer. Just as they are about to exit the village, a whole section of ground gives, tilts, and falls into the Lifestream, taking Tifa and Cloud with it. The camera follows them down, Cloud's face expressionless, as they land without a splash in the rippling green of the Lifestream.) Scene 112 - Into Darkness - (Tifa and Cloud slowly float downward through the green Lifestream. The green fades and Tifa is left spinning, somehow artificially, in black space. She slowly comes to a stop, then sits up as if she were sitting in a chair.) Tifa "Wh, where am I......? What's happening? I......?" (She stands up in the nothing.) Tifa "Where's Cloud......!? Cloud, where are you!?" (She slowly turns, without moving her feet, as if she were on a turntable.) Tifa "Huh...... what......? Who......?" (She looks around) Tifa "Who is it......? I can't hear......" (Odd noises fill the gloom, alive but not human. Tifa spins around.) Tifa "Wait a minute......! I don't know anything about that!" (She turns again, slowly, in the opposite direction.) Tifa "No! It's not me......! I'd never do anything like that!!" (She stands still a moment. The sounds continue. Then she clutches her ears and shakes her head violently.) Tifa "No! Stop it......!! Stay back!" (She begins to run in a random direction, not getting anywhere but to more blackness.) Tifa "Somebody...... help! Please!!" (She stops, her body lit up fire-red. The sounds change, becoming something like radio static, intermixed with the sound of machine gun fire. She drops to her knees, clutching her head.) Tifa "Cloud, help me!!" (Crumpled on the ground, she begins to spin at dizzying speeds.) Tifa "Eyaaaaghh......!!" (With a great, grating sound, she spirals into the blackness.) Scene 113 - Enter Cloud's Mind - Nibelheim, Long Ago - (The blackness fades. We see Tifa stand up, slowly. She is on a great green platform, suspended in space. The screen is dimmed slightly. Planets and stars are born and die in the background. Three paths lead away from the platform. On each one sits a twin of Cloud, his head on his knees.) Tifa "............ Where am I......?" (The screen brightens. Tifa spins and looks up to see another Cloud, high above the platform. He is tranparent. He clutches his head, writhing in slow motion, suspended in midair.) Tifa "Cloud!?" "What is it, Cloud? What is this......!?" (She takes a step toward him.) Tifa "Is this the inside of your dream? Or is it...... your...... subconsciousness......?" (She looks down.) Tifa "You're searching, aren't you, Cloud?" "Searching...... for yourself......" "I can help too. We'll work together to try and get the real you back!" (She crosses her arms, contemplative.) Tifa "But...... Where do we start......?" (She speaks to the replica of Cloud sitting to the north. Past him, we see the gates of Nibelheim, faded slightly, as if in a dream.) "The gates of Nibelheim... Five years ago, Sephiroth passed through these gates......" "And...... That's how it all started......" Tifa "It connects...... to Nibelheim......?" "That's right... It's probably best to start from there......" (Cloud stands up. Tifa comes forward, toward the gates.) Tifa "Let's go have a look, Cloud. I know it's not easy...... But I'll be right with you......" (FMV sequence. The camera floats past Tifa and Cloud to the gates of Nibelheim. Tifa arrives there.) Tifa "Cloud... look." (She runs into the town, nodding in the direction of the courtyard.) Tifa "Here's the well..." (She turns another direction.) Tifa "And that's Gramps' Inn, too." (She runs back through the gates, stopping by a rusted old truck reposing there.) Tifa "The only truck in town. It's been here since we were little kids, right?" (She faces back toward Cloud's mind.) Tifa "This is the Nibelheim you remember, right?" (She nods.) Tifa "It's the same as my Nibelheim That's why this place is... our Nibelheim." (Cloud materializes from thin air, seated restfully on the ground. He stands, looking at his feet as Tifa comes over to him.) Tifa "Five years ago... two men from SOLDIER came..." (She turns toward the town.) Tifa "Sephiroth and...... a young and vibrant soldier." (She turns back.) Tifa "Can you tell me again what happened?" (Cloud blinks out of existence, then reappears behind Tifa, still staring at his feet. She moves aside as Sephiroth comes into the town. He stands in the gates a moment, then turns back. He takes no notice of Cloud and Tifa as this movie of Cloud's memories plays out.) Sephiroth "So how does it feel?" Tifa "Five years ago... I saw the real Sephiroth for the very first time." Sephiroth "It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right?" "So how does it feel?" "I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown..." Cloud "Ummm... how 'bout your parents?" Tifa "So this is... the Great Sephiroth." Sephiroth "My mother is Jenova. She died right after she gave birth to me. My father..." (He laughs.) Tifa "But to tell you the truth, I thought he was very cold." Sephiroth "What does it matter...?" "All right, let's go." (He turns and takes a few steps into the town.) Tifa "I remember, I felt a foreboding about him." (She turns to watch as the Cloud of five years ago, flanked by two soldiers, enters. The soldier on the right stops to occupy the same space as the present Cloud. He walks through the soldier, to the other Cloud, turns, and seems to meld with him as they both occupy the same space. The present and past Clouds flash subtly. Tifa shakes her head.) Tifa "No, Cloud." (She turns away.) Tifa "I've been hiding it for some time, afraid that if I told you... something terrible might happen." "But, I'm not going to hide anything anymore." (With a white flash, Sephiroth, the guards, and the past Cloud disappear, leaving only Cloud and Tifa.) Tifa "You weren't here. Cloud did not come to Nibelheim five years ago." (She turns away. Cloud looks at the ground. With a white flash, the Tifa of then, in her kawaii cowboy hat, appears, sitting on the ground. She is slumped over, staring at the ground, perhaps playing with a pebble or a blade of grass.) Tifa "I... waited. But, Cloud... never came." (The Tifa of then stands up.) Tifa "The two that were ordered here were Sephiroth and another person..." (The Tifa of then stands up and dashes off into the town, not headed anywhere in particular. Sephiroth appears before Tifa once more.) Sephiroth "All right, let's go." (He turns and walks into Nibelheim. As the screen fades to white, we catch a glimpse of the two soldiers and the young man with black hair, in Cloud's place, follow him.) Scene 114 - That Childhood Promise... - (The scene fades in to the green platform of Cloud's mind. The gates of Nibelheim are no longer there. The Cloud that sat there speaks with Tifa.) "You mean that member of SOLDIER who came with Sephiroth wasn't...... Cloud......?" Tifa "There's nothing......... I can say......" "You must find the answer yourself......" (She shakes her head.) Tifa "If you can't...... Then you......" "Take your time, Cloud. Slowly...... little by little, okay?" (The Cloud of Nibelheim slowly turns away. Tifa speaks to the Cloud to the left. Beyond him, we see the well in Nibelheim, slightly washed-out. The Cloud stands up.) "That starry night at the well...... And our promise that night... What if the memory was just a lie?" Tifa "Don't hurry, Cloud...... Don't answer too quickly." "Just keep checking all those small emotions and it'll come back...... Slowly...... little by little......" "Right... like the sky that night...... the heavens were filled with stars......" (FMV sequence. Cloud and Tifa float up into space as the camera flybys to the well at Nibelheim , ending focused on the starry night sky. The scene fades to black.) Tifa "From the beginning... OK?" (The scene fades in to the well, that night when Tifa and Cloud were just children. They stand on the well, Cloud staring at the ground.) Tifa "Try and remember, Cloud." (Cloud, a child, materializes. He is sitting on the edge of the well, dangling his feet. Then Tifa, also a child, is there too, sitting across from him, exactly as on that night long ago.) Tifa "Right, I was wearing these clothes." "That's you, too. You were so small then......" (She sits down next to her childhood counterpart, who doesn't see her.) Tifa "...and cute." (She and her younger self both look at their respective versions of Cloud, in perfect sync.) Tifa "Sephiroth once said..." (The present Tifa looks down again.) Tifa "Cloud made up his memories by listening to my stories...." (Young Tifa looks back down. She swings her feet.) Tifa "Did you imagine this sky? No, you remembered it." (Young Cloud shakes his head.) Tifa "That night the stars were gorgeous. It was just Cloud and I. We talked at the well..." "That's why I continued to believe that you were the real Cloud." (She looks down. She swings her own feet.) Tifa "I still believe you're the Cloud from Nibelheim..." (In a flash, Young Cloud disappears and reappears at the highest structure of the well, silhouetted against the night sky.) Tifa "But you don't believe in yourself..." (Tifa and her child self both cross their legs in perfect sync, as if they were the same being. The present Tifa leans back to look up at young Cloud. The screen pans up and fades to white.) Tifa "These memories aren't enough." Scene 115 - Jealousy - In My Room - (The screen fades back in and we are back in Cloud's subconscious. The Ni