------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Game Script By MartinFF7 (martinffwa at gmail dot com) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This script is written and compiled by MartinFF7, so far it's only available at: - www.ffwa.org - www.gamefaqs.com If you want to put the script on your website, please contact me first (at the e-mail address given above). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things to note before we begin: -Dialogue appears as it does in the game, for the most part; I had to include some line breaks since the .txt document won't be word wrapped on Gamefaqs. Any errors you see in the script are most likely typos on my part, and not the game's. -For dialogue without a name attached to it, I refer to the person by a general word ("Guy", "Girl", etc.) -Actions, events, or general scene descriptions are enclosed in [ ] brackets. -The same script, with pictures, is available at http://www.ffwa.org. Without pictures (as this script is presented) I've done my best to describe scenes. For someone who hasn't played the game, I'd also recommend looking at Dirge of Cerberus videos on YouTube to get a general idea of who the characters are, what they sound like, what locations look like, etc. -Obviously, this script contains spoilers. Proceed at your own peril. -Let it be known that I'm really not a fan of Dirge of Cerberus, I merely scripted the game as a public service; if just one person reads the script instead of buying the game, then it would be worth it. -The script is divided into 13 parts. Use Find (Ctrl + F) on the chapter title to be brought to that section. The 13 parts are: Prologue: Meteorfall Chapter 1: Sea of Flames Chapter 2: Showdown in the Wastes Chapter 3: Silent Edge Chapter 4: Headquarters Under Siege Chapter 5: Manor of Despair Chapter 6: Deepground Strikes Back Chapter 7: The Shera Chapter 8: Midgar Assault / Fight for the Central Complex Chapter 9: An Empire in Ruins Chapter 10: Shinra's Dark Secret Chapter 11: Beginnings Final Chapter: Omega and Chaos / A Finale Chaotic So without further ado... the game script for Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PROLOGUE: METEORFALL [A portion of Meteor sticks itself through the smoke and clouds above Midgar. Rescue workers are evacuating the city and carting off the dead amidst harsh Meteor-generated winds] Yuffie: Come on! Hurry up! Yuffie: And try not to drop anybody this time! Yuffie: Report! Guy: Evac complete. All injured have been moved to the transports. Yuffie: Okay! Let's get outta here! Yuffie: Just remember to keep on guard until you're clear of the red zone! Yuffie: We're all done here. How about you? [Vincent approaches the base of the Sister Ray] Vincent: Finished. Vincent: But Yuffie, I want you to check the mako cannon. Yuffie: But we already... [She looks up at the cannon, holding an electronic device which scans for life signs] Yuffie: What the...? [The screen of the device flashes "Detected Life Signs 01"] Vincent: Just as I thought. Yuffie: Hold on! Hold on! This is crazy. Yuffie: There's no way anybody could be up there. No. Vincent: Yuffie. Rendezvous with Cloud and the others. Vincent: It looks like I still have some work to do. [Vincent hangs up] Yuffie: Hey, whoa! [She lowers the phone and looks up at the cannon] Yuffie: Vincent. Yuffie: Get out of there! I have a bad feeling about this! [Vincent runs up to the top of the cannon, reaching the area where the group fought and defeated Hojo in the original game. Bright white light surrounds Vincent as the camera panes around to reveal... Hojo, slumped over the controls of the cannon, not moving. Vincent stares at him with utter hatred, and pulls out his tripled-barreled gun, Cerberus. Just as he's about to fire, a stray lightning bolt strikes the gun, distracting him. When he looks back up, Hojo isn't there. Unsure whether it was a hallucination or not, Vincent is given no time to ponder as a secondary explosion occurs nearby] Yuffie: Vincent! [She approaches on some sort of hoverbike. Vincent jumps on and they fly away. On the computer screen that Hojo had previously been near, the words "start" and "fragment program" appear, flashing] ["Three years later" flashes on the screen; next, the camera appears to be underwater. As "Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-" appears on screen, we see the bright green eye of... something. From the contour of its face, it could very well be a Weapon...] [Next we see Vincent; he's sitting in Lucrecia's cave, facing downward. He looks up to see Lucrecia, encased in crystals with her eyes closed and hands placed on her chest. Vincent thinks the following lines] Vincent: So... Vincent: We meet again... Vincent: Lucrecia. [Some strange, subtle fluctuations appear around her. The screen fades to black] Lucrecia: I'm so sorry. [Vincent opens his eyes; he's in a room in Kalm] Vincent: Why? Vincent: I'm the one who should apologize. [A noise in the background signals the start of a television news program. We see Vincent's cell phone with a message to Vincent, from Reeve, stating "Meet me in Kalm. We need to talk." An anchorman begins the news story] Anchorman: Three weeks ago our crew left for Midgar. Anchorwoman: However, the group's whereabouts still remain unknown. Anchorwoman: What really happened down there? Anchorman: Tonight, for the first time, we bring you the final transmission received... [Footage appears on the television screen; beneath it is the text "A television crew and 38 members of an investigation team are believed missing". The Anchorman and woman describe how, for the past three years, a door had remained sealed but was now being opened; a door leading to an area beneath the Shinra building, another of the company's secrets revealed recently. They note that there is evidence that "thousands of people had once been transported here"] [While the Anchorwoman continues to jabber on, Vincent looks out his window, up at the moon. The people in Kalm appear to be celebrating something; fireworks explode in the sky, and the streets are bustling with human activity and balloons. People are dancing. It's a very happy and festive time... and we cut back to Vincent, sitting in his solitary room. Suddenly he jerks his head to look outside once more - a missile of some sort has been launched at a building, exploding amidst the screams of frightened citizens in the streets. One guy exclaims "What the heck was that?!" A trio of helicopters fly overhead. With the aid of bungee cord-like devices, several soldiers drop out, detach, and run amongst the crowd, opening fire] [Another batch of helicopters arrive, carrying large containers. Some bizarre dog-like mutant creature runs towards someone and bites their chest, dragging him away. Vincent is shown standing in his window, as a helicopter descends directly in front of him and fires a missile. His room explodes into flames as he jumps in the air and fires at the helicopter repeatedly, destroying it. We're shown one of the soldiers ordering a little girl clutching a Moogle doll to "get in there!", "there" being one of the aforementioned containers. People are being herded into containers as the city burns around them. Vincent is pissed off] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 1: SEA OF FLAMES Vincent: What's going on? [A trio of soldiers approach on the rooftop behind Vincent. From their line of vision we see a sort of computer screen with the words "Vincent Valentine", "Gender: Male", "Blood Type: A" at the top left of the screen. We cut to a scene of a girl with an elaborate device covering the top half of her head] Girl: Found you. [The camera pans out as we see she's plugged into a collection of wires. Back to the soldiers, whose screen notifies them that Vincent is wanted Dead or Alive. They spring to action, but Vincent is faster and shoots them all down] [The gameplay begins; Vincent traverses several rooftops, killing many of these soldiers, eventually reaching the ground] Vincent: Now where am I supposed to meet Reeve? [Vincent continues through the streets, saving civilians when he can, with dialogue that's unimportant to this script. We see a scene of a helicopter carrying away a container filled with people. Vincent goes about his business. We see a scene of a mother and daughter running away from a horde of dog-creatures; we see a similar screen as the guards who saw Vincent Valentine saw. The girl has a green tint with the word "Clean" beside her. The mother has a red tint with the words "Geostigma detected" beside her. One dog creature pins down the mother while another dog drags the girl away, and takes her inside a container. Vincent finds the container and frees her; the girl runs away crying "Mommy!", to which the mother replies "Rio!"] [Vincent continues through the town, saving civilians and generally killing a lot of bad guys. Eventually he gets to the town square.... and a helicopter faces him. Boss battle vs. Dragonfly. At the end of the battle the Dragonfly fires off a few missiles before crashing - Vincent dives into a nearby house via its open doorway to avoid them] [Cut back to the girl w/ the strange headgear. She takes off the helmet] Girl: Vincent Valentine. [A closeup of her face reveals her eyes are bright orange] Girl: We've found you. [Her eyes return to a blue colour. A rather large brute approaches her from behind] Guy: Is this the one? Girl: Yes. [Back to Vincent, who makes his way through the house. On the 2nd floor, a loud crashing is heard; there's a big hole in the wall, and in walks the large brute from before. He's muscular, has blue hair and almost appears more beastly than human. The girl accompanies him] Girl: The Protomateria. [Her eyes turn orange] Girl: Tell us where it is. [Vincent just looks at them] Guy: Hail Weiss. [Several soldiers in the room also shout "Heil Weiss!" Gameplay: Vincent kills them all. Back to the large brute] Guy: Challenge accepted. [The girl suddenly faints. He looks at her. A random voice off-screen says "This way!"] Guy: Luck is on your side. [He picks up the girl and walks away] Girl: I'm sorry. [The brute turns around] Azul: I am Azul. We will meet again. [The voice from before enters the room] Guy: What happened here!? [In runs Reeve and a guy in a white uniform] Reeve: Vincent Valentine! Are you alright? Vincent: Reeve, nice to see you again. Vincent: Not a very interesting outfit, though. Reeve: [laughs] It took me a while to decide which costume I'd put on for today. Reeve: But enough of the small talk. Who were those soldiers that just left? Vincent: I don't know. The large one called himself Azul. Reeve: Azul the Cerulean? Reeve: Of the Tsviets!? Reeve: Then that could only mean... WRO Member: Commissioner! [Reeve turns around, and we see several enemy soldiers entering the ground floor of the house] Reeve: We'll discuss this later. WRO troops have arrived and commenced rescue operations. We could use your help, Vincent. [Reeve begins to walk away] Vincent: Reeve. [Reeve stops and partially turns around] Vincent: I don't know what you are up to, but I want absolutely no part of it. Reeve: But... You fought alongside us three years ago! We need your help once mor-- [A hail of gunfire bursts through Reeve's stomach; Vincent shoots down the enemy soldier, before running to Reeve's side] Vincent: Reeve! [He goes to pick up "Reeve", who falls apart into several pieces. Out pops Cait Sith] Cait Sith: That was a close one! Never was good at fighting. Luckily, I came out wearing "Reeve." Cait Sith: You're really not a bad bloke, are you, Vincent? You pretend not to care, but you always come through in the end. Vincent: [sighs] Alright, what do you want me to do? Cait Sith: Let's run those lads outta town. I'll leave the method up to you. When you've tidied things up, meet me at the square in front of the east church. [Vincent departs the house and continues to go around Kalm, assisting the WRO and killing enemy units. To give you some insight as to what the WRO is, I'll include some optional dialogue Vincent can have with one WRO member] WRO Member: Sir! WRO Member: The WRO was originally established three years ago after Meteorfall. WRO Member: With Jenova War hero Reeve Tuesti at its helm, our organization is dedicated to aiding the healing process of the planet, as well as protecting it from any who attempt further harm. [Eventually he reaches an open area in front of a church. The Dragonfly from before shows up! Boss fight vs. Dragonfly GL. After the boss fight, Vincent jumps into the air, fires at the Dragonfly a few times, then, landing on top of it, transforms into the Galian Beast and punches it. He jumps off, the helicopter explodes, and he transforms back to Vincent. Enemy soldiers emerge from the vicinity and fire at Vincent; a truck drives in front of him, shielding him from the gunfire; WRO members pour out the back and return fire, accompanied by the real Reeve, who nods at Vincent. Vincent nods back] [Scene change; relative calm has been restored to Kalm (no pun intended). Vincent sits on a crate while Reeve is talking to a WRO commander. At the end of the conversation they salute, followed by Reeve walking over to Vincent] Reeve: Good work, Vincent. Reeve: The enemy is retreating. It seems they have finally begun their withdrawal from Kalm. Vincent: Good. Reeve: However, we still require your assistance. Reeve: Reports are Edge is under attack. [Vincent looks down... he's got a job to do] [Scene change: two WRO members are taking cover behind crates. One of them is engulfed by black smoke] WRO Member: Hey, toss me another clip. [He turns around to see no one is there, before being engulfed himself. We see a group of four WRO Members running by, with the fourth one being engulfed by the smoke. The remaining three run into a warehouse] WRO Member: Where did everyone go? [A noise is heard above and the WRO Members look up. A scantily-clad girl with red hair and red eyes holding a weapon of some sort smirks at them. Her voice sports a slavic accent] WRO Member: Who the hell are you!? Rosso: Rosso. Rosso the Crimson. WRO Member: Tsviets? [Her weapon opens up. Instantly she appears behind the three WRO members and in one broad move slashes them in their necks. They fall down] Rosso: The mighty WRO... Rosso: They wouldn't last a day in Deepground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 2: SHOWDOWN IN THE WASTES [Reeve and Vincent are in a truck, traveling from Kalm to Edge] Vincent: Reeve. Who were those men? Reeve: Deepground soldiers. Vincent: Deepground? Reeve: Yes. The shadow of the Shinra Company, constructed by the former president and completely hidden from the rest of the world. Vincent: Constructed? Reeve: His goal was to create an army of superhuman warriors--not once letting morality interfere. Reeve: The man you met earlier, Azul, is also a member of Deepground. But, he belongs to an elite unit known as the Tsviets. Reeve: The whole organization was kept a secret. That is why there is so little information on them. However, it's nothing like I expected. Vincent: Not even a person in your position was informed? Reeve: No. Other than the president himself, the only people who knew of Deepground's existence were most likely Heidegger, Scarlet, and the head of biochemical research, Hojo. Reeve: After the president's death, the transfer of power to his son was carried out so quickly, I doubt Rufus was ever briefed on the project. Reeve: As for me, I was told the information was on a need to know basis. And as an official in charge of urban development, I guess I wasn't on their list. All the intel we currently have on Deepground was only discovered recently when we came across some of Scarlet's old files. Reeve: [sighs] Vincent. Have you heard of the mass disappearance that occurred recently in Junon? Vincent: I remember the report saying that 20 or 30 people suddenly vanished. Reeve: That's what the report would like you to believe. Reeve: It was determined internally that if the truth was leaked, they wouldn't be able to contain the inevitable panic. Reeve: The actual number of people that went missing that day was 1200. 1200 people simply vanished without a single trace. Reeve: The WRO conducted a private investigation but we came up empty-handed. Except for the rumors. Reeve: Since the Junon disappearances, people in Edge have been on edge. They say that night after night you can hear screams coming from the direction of Midgar. Could it be the wind? Let me ask you, does the wind sound like a thousand wailing souls? [Awkward pause in the conversation] Reeve: Listen. Can you hear them? The cries? [Some scattered voices can be heard in the distant background] WRO Member: Commissioner! A rogue transmission is being broadcast on all wavelengths! [Vincent and Reeve look at the tv screen. A man is sitting in a throne. As he speaks the camera shows him from different angles] Guy: At last. The time has come to cleanse this world. Guy: The pure will be "spared" for the cause, while the tainted will be hunted down and exterminated. They shall be slashed, strangled, and slaughtered. Beaten, stabbed, and crushed. Garroted and impaled. Shot and executed without mercy. The time has come to cleanse this world. [He laughs rather villainously; the transmission cuts out] Reeve: Where could that signal have...? [The truck rumbles] Reeve: What was that? [He opens the back of the truck, just as a beast jumps up towards him; Vincent shoots it] Reeve: Guard hounds! Vincent: I'll take care of your pet problem. Just keep driving. Reeve: Vincent! Use this! [A machine gun turret w/ accompanying seat emerges from the floor of the truck. Vincent sits in it. Eventually the truck crashes; Vincent gets out] Vincent: Are you alright? Reeve: I'll be fine. But that's more than I can say for the engine. Reeve: Vincent. If possible, I want you to continue on to Edge. Reeve: That transmission we just saw troubles me. Reeve: Once I have repaired the Shadowfox, I'll need to return to headquarters. A WRO squad has already been dispatched to Edge. Join them and help liberate the city. Vincent: I guess I have no choice. [Vincent makes his way through the wasteland, killing Guard hounds and a boss, Crimson Hound. A little later, Deepground soldiers on hoverbikes attack him, and they get easily dispatched] [Vincent has reached Edge; a rather grey and depressing town, currently in the midst of a rainstorm. It was here that Rosso slaughtered the WRO squad] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 3: SILENT EDGE [Rosso is sitting on a crate in the factory, laughing to herself Rosso: Slashed, strangled, and slaughtered. Beaten, stabbed, and crushed. Garroted and impaled. Shot and executed without mercy. Nicely said, Weiss. [She looks up at the sky] Rosso: I wonder if this will be a little more amusing than last time. [The camera fades out & we see she's surrounded by the corpses of WRO members] [Back to Vincent, who's peering around a corner. A woman in a labcoat and high heels approaches him from behind and pulls out a gun. Vincent turns around, also holding his gun. Both guns are pointed at each other's heads. The girl is wearing a bizarre outfit beneath the labcoat; her left eye is closed and she appears to have an artificial left arm. Vincent notices a WRO identification tag on her labcoat] Vincent: You're WRO? Girl: Who's asking? [Vincent puts his gun away] Vincent: Vincent Valentine. Reeve sent me. [The girl puts her gun away] Shalua: My apologies. Shalua Rui of the WRO. Shalua: The commissioner has told me much about you. Vincent: What happened here? Shalua: That's what I'd like to know. Shalua: I'm here on other business, but something's not right. It's too quiet. Shalua: I've seen no trace of Deepground, or the squads that were sent in to fight them. Also, where are the 500 people who are supposed to still be living here? Well, this is getting us nowhere. Like I said, I have business to attend to. I'll see you around. [she begins to walk away] Vincent: Business? Shalua: [stops, turns around] The commissioner keeps telling me I'm wasting my time searching. Vincent: Searching for what? Shalua: For my reason to live. [walks away] [Back to gameplay; Vincent makes his way through the town, eventually stumbling on a solitary dying WRO member] WRO Member: Ambushed... by... soldier... in red... WRO Member: Squad... wiped out... WRO Member: Warehouse... on the... edge of town... WRO Member: They... were gathering... civilians... [The gameplay continues. Vincent moves on to an area with snipers, and kills them all. Eventually he spots a lone kid running away from several Deepground soldiers; he kills them and saves the kid] Kid: Thanks. Kid: The warehouse. I know how to get there. It's through that gate. [A nearbye gate is revealed, which requires a cardkey to get by] Kid: You have the cardkey? [Vincent barely shakes his head to signal "no"] Kid: Come on. [runs away] I know someone who does. Follow me. [Eventually Vincent gets the cardkey, and proceeds to the warehouse, where he's ambushed by a Heavy Armored Soldier and an array of Deepground soldiers, who (naturally) shout "Hail Weiss!" Boss fight vs. Heavy Armored Soldier] Heavy Armored Soldier: How could I...? [The soldier falls down; Vincent walks to the door] [Scene change; outside, Rosso is staring upward, standing in the rain] Rosso: You know, this is the first time I've ever felt the rain on my skin. Rosso: But then again, I hadn't even seen the sky until a few days ago. [She stands there motionless for several seconds; the camera pulls back to reveal Vincent is standing there, looking at her] Rosso: So you're Vincent Valentine. Keeper of the Protomateria. Vincent: Protomateria? Rosso: Yes. The key to controlling Omega. We know you have it. Rosso: Hand it over now, and I'll kill you quickly. [Vincent stares at her. He is unamused!] Rosso: Not one to bargain, are we? Then I'll make sure you suffer. [Using her super-speed, she appears behind Vincent] Rosso: Time to die. [She unfurls her weapon and attempts to strike him; Vincent dodges her blows; the center of her weapon is revealed to be a hidden gun; he manages to dodge the gunfire. However, she gets close enough to punch him, sending him crashing through a wall. Crouched on one knee, Vincent begins to glow red... he steps out of the building, now sporting a pair of wings, grey skin, and a generally macabre appearance. He is... Chaos! He generates a spherical red barrier of energy around him, which sends Rosso flying away. We next see Vincent standing in the rain, and he falls down. As he loses consciousness, he sees Shalua approaching him] [Next scene: a flashback, or perhaps a hallucination, but he's in Lucrecia's Cave. The camera pans around Lucrecia, still in her crystal tomb, as we occasionally hear her disembodied voice] Vincent: Lucrecia. Lucrecia: ...sorry... Vincent: Why? Lucrecia: Awake-- Vincent: Awake? Lucrecia: I'm so sorry. [Another flashback; Vincent, as a Turk, is in the basement of Shinra Mansion, confronting Hojo, who's wielding a gun] Vincent: Talk! Why did you let this happen!? Hojo: Silence. Vincent: You! Hojo: Silence!!! [Hojo shoots him, Vincent falls down, staring at Hojo's boots] Hojo: Why can't these people just keep quiet? [As Vincent begins to lose consciousness, he hears portions of what Hojo is saying to himself] Hojo: I can... body... next experiment... a genius... I am... success here... justify... failures... [Next scene; Vincent wakes up, his vision distorted. He stumbles around before the screen fades to black and he screams] [Another scene change; he's inside a regenerative tube of water, while Lucrecia is outside, looking at him. This will be a familiar scene in future flashbacks; but for the moment, this is all we see.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 4: HEADQUARTERS UNDER SIEGE [Vincent is inside a tube of water, much like the previous scene, but in the present day. He wakes up and stares forward; Shalua is sitting at a desk in front of him] Shalua: Well, look who's awake. [Vincent looks around] Shalua: Hold on. I'll release you. [He gets released] Vincent: Where am I? Shalua: Safe inside the WRO headquarters. Shalua: I carried you back here from Edge after you collapsed during your fight with Deepground. It seems like the beast inside you went a little wild back there. This happen often? Vincent: Went wild? Do you mean Chaos? Shalua: Chaos? Your body harbors the Chaos gene? [Shalua begins to walk around as she talks] Shalua: So that explains your relationship with Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. Shalua: Were you the product of one of her experiments? Vincent: Lucrecia's experiments? [He looks down] Shalua: I apologize. That wasn't what I meant. Vincent: Wait. Lucrecia was researching Chaos? Shalua: [looks at him] Don't tell me you didn't know. [She sits down at her computer and types in a few keys. Information appears on the screen] Shalua: Crescent. Shinra class A scientist specializing in biotechnology. Shalua: In her research thesis, "The Planet's Pulse," she refers to Chaos as one of the sentient xenoforms residing among us. Shalua: However, the theories that she presented in her work were so abstract and complex... [Vincent zones out as Shalua continues talking in the background. He hears Lucrecia's voice once again say "I'm so sorry.", followed by "Awaken."] Shalua: Are you alright? Vincent: Can I see that thesis? Shalua: Unfortunately, no. On top of being obscure, it was never even submitted to the Shinra database. All I know is what I saw while going through the company's archives. [Reeve walks in] Reeve: Vincent! Have you recovered already? [Scene change; the little girl who accompanied Azul in Kalm is typing on a computer. Azul approaches her from behind] Azul: What is the status of our keeper? Girl: His location remains unchanged since the confrontation. We can assume this is the WRO headquarters. Azul: Good. Two birds with one stone. [He walks away; she stands up, turns around and picks up an orange materia sitting on a nearby table, before leaving the room] [Back to Reeve, Vincent and Shalua; apparently Vincent has recited his story to the other two] Reeve: So Rosso the Crimson told you that Protomateria is the "key to controlling Omega"? Vincent: Yeah. Reeve: Any ideas? Shalua: Soul wrought of terra corrupt, quelling impurity, purging the stream to beckon forth an ultimate fate. Behold mighty Chaos, Omega's squire to the lofty heavens. Reeve: Where did you...? Shalua: A passage from Dr. Crescent's thesis. But that's all I know. Unfortunately, I only saw a fragment of the document. Shalua: However, Chaos... Omega... And... [she looks at Vincent] All seem to be connected to Dr. Crescent in some way. There's no other explanation. Shalua: I think we'll need to gather more data on her to get anywhere. [The computer screens surrounding them flash red & an alarm goes off] Reeve: What now? [Outside WRO headquarters, dozens of Deepground soldiers enter the building. Azul spots a videocamera; a Deepground soldier shoots it down] Shalua: Damn! [She types a few keys, causing doors inside the complex to close. Vincent exits the room. Outside, we see a couple of Deepground soldiers standing around] Azul: Move. [They move out of the way. He approaches a steel door; on the other side are 3 WRO soldiers. He punches a big hole in it] Azul: Painless. Azul: Go. [Deepground soldiers swarm into the complex. We next seen Vincent in a hallway, on his way to confronting them] Reeve: Vincent! The enemy has breached the main gate! Hurry! [Shalua looks at the videofeed of the camera which was shot earlier. What's left of the videofeed shows the little girl walking by. Shalua freaks out] Shalua: What? Shalua: It couldn't be... [Gameplay time. Vincent works his way through the floors of the WRO building, taking out various Deepground units. Eventually he reaches a WRO member who alerts him of the threat to Reeve] WRO Member: Mr. Valentine! A sizable enemy unit is headed straight for the command center. Please, sir, you have to help the commissioner! [Oh no, Reeve! Vincent races to the command center, where he encounters...] Cait Sith: Take that! [A Deepground soldier gets thrown out. Cait Sith walks out of the room, followed by Reeve, their actions synchronized] Reeve: Don't worry. I'll be fine here. Reeve: But Vincent. The Tsviets... Azul is still on the loose. [Reeve and Cait Sith walk back into the room] [Gameplay continues; Vincent backtracks, and notices Azul on the ground floor; he makes his way there, and then through some hallways, until he gets to a large room. As he's walking, we can see a cloaked person following him. Shalua, who's also in the room, spots the hidden being and pulls out her gun] Shalua: Don't move. [The cloaked being... is that little girl. She uncloaks and walks up to Shalua, who's still pointing a gun at her] Girl: Very perceptive of you. Shalua: I knew it. [They look at it each other] Shalua: Shelke. Shelke: I have no acquaintances in the WRO. Shalua: We've both changed so much. No, you haven't changed at all. Not in ten years. [Shelke gasps] Shalua: Shelke. It's me. Shalua. [Shelke turns away] Shalua: I've been searching for you for so long. [Shelke takes out her weapon, a pair of lightsabre-ish things with a tube connecting from one part of her wrist armor to another, and points one of the sabres at Shalua] Shelke: Don't take another step. Shalua: Shelke? Shelke: It doesn't matter who I am or who you are. My current mission as a Deepground soldier is all that is relevant. Shalua: Even though ten years have passed, you're still Shelke, my only sister! [Shelke lowers and disables her weapon] Shelke: Ten years. Has it been that long? Shelke: The day they came to take me away, I was told I had potential. Shelke: But those words were nothing but a precursor to a decade of suffering. Shelke: They manipulated my mind until I was a shadow of my original self. Shelke: The pain. The fear. For ten years I lived in a hell far deeper than any you could imagine. But look at me. I should be 19 this year. Shelke: If I don't receive my daily dose of mako, this body wouldn't last a day. However, I don't consider myself the least bit unfortunate. Shelke: Except that for so long I held on to a foolish thread of hope that someday, someone would come to save me. Shalua: [sobbing, as she falls to her knees] I'm sorry, Shelke. I'm so sorry. Shelke: It's time to put the past behind us. [turns on her weapon] Reeve: Stop this! Shelke: Reeve Tuesti. Reeve: So you are Shalua's younger sister. Shelke: Excellent. Now I can terminate both of you at once. Reeve: Look at her. That's the price Shalua has paid fighting Shinra for the past ten years. She has given more than her arm, more than her eye. She has put her life on the line time and time again. All to find her lost sister. More than half her organs have been reconstructed. Not a day goes by when Shalua doesn't suffer the pain of a hundred souls. Reeve: But still, she... Shelke: Enough. I've... I've heard enough. [She prepares her weapon; Vincent pulls out his gun] Reeve: Stop! [Reeve shoots at a sprinkler on the ceiling, which sets it off. Shelke moves forward to attack Shalua; Vincent runs to her side. Shelke stops her attack just in time] Reeve: Vincent! [The three of them leave the room as the sprinkler stops. Reeve reaches into his pocket] Reeve: Use these. [Vincent takes what was given to him and re-enters the room] Shalua: Shelke? Shelke! Reeve: Don't worry. The bullets will only sedate her. Let Vincent handle this. [Vincent and Shelke square off. Boss fight vs. Shelke the Transparent. After the fight, she's unconscious from the sedation bullets] Shalua: Shelke! [Shalua runs to her side and cradles her in her arms. Reeve and Vincent walk away] [Gameplay. Vincent backtracks, but shortly thereafter stops; he turns around, as Azul comes crashing down through the ceiling] Azul: We meet again. Azul: Answer me this. Do you know why you even exist? [Vincent stares at him. Azul smirks] Azul: Just as I thought. Ignorant to your own destiny. Azul: Very well. I'll show you what you really are. [Vincent shoots at him, but it does nothing; a shield appears in front of Azul] Azul: You think that toy can penetrate my armor? Azul: Enough of the games, Vincent. Give me the Protomateria. Reeve: Vincent! Over here! [Vincent fires at Azul a few more times before running away] Azul: You can't run! [Vincent and Reeve are running away; Azul is hot on their trail] Reeve: Vincent! [Vincent looks at him and nods. They enter a large room; Vincent walks over to an extremely large gun/rocket launcher on the ground, picks it up & fires it at Azul. The explosion sends Vincent and Reeve backwards] Vincent: You shouldn't leave those things lying around. [Reeve laughs; Vincent looks at Azul, who's still standing, albeit shieldless, and now HE'S holding the gun/rocket launcher. He's also laughing menacingly] Azul: Well done. You have broken through my barrier. Vincent: This ends here. Leave him to me. [Reeve leaves] Azul: Long has it been since I faced a worthy opponent! [Boss fight vs. Azul the Cerulean. At the end of the fight, Vincent is standing in front of Azul, whose gun/rocket launcher is now on the ground] Azul: You may think this is the end, but... [He falls down] [Vincent is walking through the WRO HQ's lobby. Reeve approaches him] Reeve: Where are you... Vincent: Nibelheim Reeve: Wait. Shinra Manor? But that is where... Reeve: Understood. Reeve: However, be on your guard. We have reports of Deepground units deployed in that area. Reeve: If you wish to enter the manor in one piece, I suggest you use the sewer system extending from the old mako reactor. Vincent: Sewer? How appropriate is that? [Vincent walks away] Reeve: Now, as for me and my feline companion... Reeve: It is time we found out what Deepground is truly up to. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 5: MANOR OF DESPAIR [Vincent lands in the sewer system. He makes his way forward, and it becomes clear that he's not alone... as a Sahagin jumps in front of him!] Vincent: Looks like I'm not the only one here. [Vincent clears the sewers, and exits them, arriving in some storage area beneath the basement of the Shinra Manor. He gets in an elevator and, arms crossed, has a flashback to when he first met Lucrecia] Vincent: Vincent Valentine reporting for duty, ma'am. I have been assigned your protection. [Lucrecia gasps] Lucrecia: No... [Vincent is confused, goes "huh?"] Lucrecia: Why would they send his... Vincent: Excuse me? Lucrecia: I apologize. This is the first time I have ever met anyone from the Turks. Lucrecia Crescent. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Valentine. [smiles] [Scene change. Cait Sith is traversing deep, deep under Midgar in his attempt to determine what Deepground is up to] Cait Sith: This has got to be the place. [Cait Sith evades the patrolling DG soldiers, jumping to a new area. A container from Kalm, filled with human brings, travels across a railing] Cait Sith: That's the same container I saw in Kalm! [On to another screen; Cait Sith arrives at a large pool of green liquid. A container (still filled with people) falls from above into the greenness] Cait Sith: What!? Cait Sith: Good gracious me! [Just as the container's about to fall in, a HUGE hand reaches out, grabs the container, and drags it under] Cait Sith: What in the blazes is growing down there? Guy: Usher of souls. [Cait Sith turns around to see a being whose outfit has wings, brimming with dark energy] Guy: My brother. Guy: Omega. Cait Sith: It's Nero the Sable. Oh dear... [Cait Sith gets engulfed by black energy, as we see a Moogle doll floating on the surface of the green liquid] [Back to Vincent, who's now in the basement of the Shinra Manor. He opens a door to reveal he's in the library & laboratory portion of the Shinra Manor, where Sephiroth's rage was first felt 8 years earlier. A small materia rolls on the ground and lands at his feet. He reaches down and picks it up; it shines brightly. He turns around: Lucrecia is standing there!] Vincent: Lucrecia! Lucrecia: Vincent, right? Lucrecia: Have you come to check up on me? [She walks forward, right through him. Her hologram flicks. They both turn around to face each other again] Lucrecia: Omega. His awakening is upon us. [Screen fades to white; the scene changes to Lucrecia standing in the cave where she would later be interred in crystals] Lucrecia: Soul wrought of terra corrupt, quelling impurity, purging the stream to beckon forth an ultimate fate. Behold mighty Chaos, Omega's squire to the lofty heavens. Lucrecia: I came across this passage while studying the scriptures of the Ancients. The Chronicles of Yore. Lucrecia: Omega. The end. Lucrecia: Just as all other sentient beings, he too, is born of the Lifestream. Lucrecia: However, his only purpose is to cleanse the planet of all things living and lead their immortal souls through the abyssal aether to a new beginning far, far beyond the neverending sea of stars. [The ball of energy disappears] Lucrecia: Just as life circulates through our planet, so too, does our planet through the universe. Or at least in theory. [We see Lucrecia amidst a sea of stars; outer space, if you will] Lucrecia: However, what I can be certain of is, if Omega awakens, then all life as we know it will end. And when Omega has embarked on his journey to the cosmos, our planet will wither and die. [Back to the present, and the Lucrecia hologram] Lucrecia: I will leave a copy of my records here for you, Vincent. Lucrecia: Though I cannot imagine what help they might be, if any at all. Lucrecia: Just remember... [Lucrecia faces the ground] Lucrecia: I am so sorry. [She disappears, and so does the materia in his hand] Vincent: Lucrecia. [He eyes a computer disc on a nearby table; he picks it up] [Gameplay continues; Vincent makes his way around the Shinra Manor, killing DG units and collecting any files on the Omega Report he can find. At one point he enters a door, falls to one knee - and it's flashback time!] [Flashback: Vincent's inside the tube of liquid again, with Lucrecia looking at him; it's the exact same flashback as earlier. Scene cuts back to the present] Vincent: This pain. Rosso: Well, well. We meet again. Rosso: This is perfect. I so wanted to see you, my love. Vincent: Deepground. What are they attempting to do with Omega? Rosso: I don't know. And to be honest, I don't care. Vincent: What? Rosso: But this is what Weiss desires. Rosso: Hail Weiss. Rosso: And what Weiss orders, we do. It is very simple. If he desires the awakening of Omega, then that is what all of Deepground desires. Rosso: We could care less what happens to the planet. Rosso: But all this matters little to me. It is not every day you are granted the chance to cleanse the world of all life. Rosso: Just the thought sends a chill of excitement through my body. Rosso: The Deepground soldiers were born and bred to kill. Rosso: We were chained to a destiny of servitude. Rosso: But then three years ago, we were freed from our chains--though waiting for us was darkness lit only by the faint glow of mako. Rosso: And what do you think we did when we gained our freedom? [Rosso laughs] Rosso: We killed. That is how we were raised. That is all we knew. Rosso: And so I bathed in the blood of a thousand soldiers. Rosso: And I enjoyed it. I reveled in it. Rosso: And when I finally stepped out of the abyss, I craved for more. Rosso: You understand, right? [Vincent points his gun at her] Vincent: I don't think so. Rosso: How can you say that, darling? We're one and the same. [She speeds away; Vincent follows, temporarily being delayed by a robot firing explosives. He eventually reaches the entrance to the Shinra Manor, where the stairs lead to the second floor. Boss Battle vs. Black Widow (the aforementioned robot)] [After the battle's conclusion, Vincent is standing around. Something is approaching fast from behind... he turns around, just as Rosso reaches him and jabs her hand directly into his chest. I mean, INTO. When she pulls it out, she's holding some uniquely-glowing materia... Vincent crouches on the ground] Rosso: I'm sorry. Were you not expecting that? [Vincent is on the ground, spasming. His eyes, and then his whole body, glows red. He transforms into Chaos, but is still unable to move, and transforms back into Vincent] Rosso: So, you cannot control the beast without this. Rosso: Well, there will be no need for it when I'm done with you. [Rosso crouches down to finish off Vincent, but in runs some mysterious person with a big shuriken! The person flings the shuriken at Rosso, causing her to back away from Vincent. The shuriken spins around, and then it emits bright light, blinding Rosso... by the time the light dissipates, both the mysterious person and Vincent are gone] Rosso: Wutai flea! [Rosso runs out of the manor, looking around franticly but seeing nothing. She punches the ground, flinging rocks everywhere] Rosso: If you manage to survive that wound, I'll make sure you don't survive the next one. But no matter. [She holds up the materia in her hand] The end is upon us. [Flashback. Hojo is sitting at a table while Vincent talks to him. For the record, the game never actually says Hojo says these lines, but it's obviously him] Vincent: Is it true? Hojo: Is what true? Vincent: That Lucrecia... That Dr. Crescent is to take part in this project? Lucrecia: It's true. [She walks into the room] Lucrecia: Why are you so surprised? Vincent: But using your own child for an experiment? [Hojo goes "Hah!] Hojo: I don't know what you're implying, but both of us are scientists. We know what we are doing. Hojo: You are the last person to have any word in this. Now leave us at once, boy! Vincent: But... Lucrecia: But what? Lucrecia: If you have something to say, say it. Vincent: Are you... Are you sure this is what you really want? Lucrecia: Am I sure? Am I sure!? If this only concerns me, then yes, I am sure! Vincent: I just... [Vincent stares at the ground, and thinks the following] Vincent: All I did was watch. Vincent: I didn't even try to stop her. Vincent: And then... [Shot of Lucrecia walking... she begins to fall over and clutches her stomach in pain, as we see images of Jenova, the Holy materia falling down, and Sephiroth walking through the flames of Nibelheim - all images directly lifted from Advent Children. Screen fades to black] Vincent: That was my sin. Vincent: And this... Vincent: This... Vincent: Is my punishment. [Flashback. Vincent is in the Shinra Manor laboratory, his vision is hazy. He looks at his hands, those of a Galian Beast. He lets out a vicious roar] [Scene change; Vincent is dreaming about sitting in Lucrecia's Cave, as he looks at her encased in her crystal tomb] Vincent: I... Vincent: I saw you again. Vincent: It was the place we first met. Vincent: But you were... Vincent: No. I'm the one to blame. Vincent: I couldn't stop you that day. Vincent: I just... [Lucrecia's disembodied voice returns] Lucrecia: I...found... Lucrecia: I gave... you... Vincent: Lucrecia? Lucrecia: I'm so sorry. [Vincent wakes up, in the real world, being transported in a truck. The mysterious person is sitting in front of him] Person: Morning! Vincent: Where...? Vincent: Who are you? Person: Well, I'm glad you asked! I am the champion of the earth and the sky. I am the conqueror of evil. The single white rose of Wutai. [The person throws off their outfit to reveal...] Yuffie: Yuffie Kisaragi! [She stands up on a chair] Yuffie: Feast your eyes on... [She loses her balance and falls backwards, knocking her head into the wall, then clutching it and moaning "Owwww!"] Vincent: So, where are we? Yuffie: C'mon, aren't you at least a little concerned. Vincent: Yuffie. Vincent: It's been a while. Vincent: How's your head? Yuffie: You... could you at least pretend to be sympathetic!? [Vincent tries to stand up, but clutches his chest. Yuffie rushes to his side] Yuffie: Hey, take it easy. That was a big hole you had in your chest. Vincent: A hole in my chest? Yuffie: I seriously thought you were a goner, but then the wound healed itself right up. You were always "different," but I guess that's why you're still breathing. Vincent: Yuffie, what are you doing here? Yuffie: Me? I'm just helping out Reeve and his gang. Yuffie: I was poking around Nibelheim and I found you looking all corpselike in Shinra Manor. So I saved you. Imagine that--me, saving the great Vincent Valentine. Do I get any thanks? [giggles] Vincent: Thanks, Yuffie. Yuffie: [shakes her hands while going "no no no!"] I didn't mean for you to take me so seriously. Anyway... Yuffie: Reeve wanted us to contact him as soon as you woke up. [Scene change: The screen is black] Reeve: Vincent has come to? Excellent. [A tv screen flickers on; Reeve is standing there] Reeve: I have some good news. Using you-know-who, I was able to infiltrate Midgar. However, what I saw wasn't the prettiest of pictures. Reeve: Omega... I should have known. Reeve: We cannot let them sacrifice the lives of any more people. Once we've gathered our forces, we'll launch a full offensive. Reeve: Of course, we'll require the help of you two as well. Please hurry back to headquarters. Oh. I'm analyzing the data files you sent earlier. I should have results soon. Tuesti out. [The transmission ends; Yuffie is sitting at the monitor] Yuffie: There you have it. I don't know what's going down, but it sounds big. Yuffie: I've been waiting a long time to get my hands on those Deepground punks. They've had their way long enough. Now it's time to give them a taste of Pain a la Yuffie. [Yuffie rambles on about how many of them she could take on, while Vincent just lies down] [Scene change. Shelke is inside a tube of water in WRO headquarters] Shelke: Where am I? [She somehow manages to deactivate it and step out. She sees Shalua slouched over her computer terminal, sleeping. Elsewhere, we see a pair of WRO soldiers standing watch outside a room, where a still-unconscious Azul is lying down on a table of some sort. His eyes open up] [Back to Shelke; she picks up her weapon, waking Shalua up] Shalua: Shelke! How are you feeling? [Shelke looks at her and sighs] Shelke: You were a fool to let your enemy live. Now I'm going to kill you and return to Deepground. Shalua: I don't think so. I have to admit, I wasn't myself back there. Seeing you for the first time in ten years left me in a spin. Shalua: But I've had time to recover. And I'm not letting you get away. Not this time. There's no way I'm going to let you kill me, and there's no way I'm going to let you go back to Deepground. Shelke: I don't recall needing your permission to do anything. Shalua: And I don't remember you ever being able to win any of our fights, do you? How about it? You want to try your luck? [We see a WRO soldier keeping watch outside Azul's room. He thinks he hears a noise, and goes closer to it... only to be blasted backwards, along with the door, as a giant beast's foot steps out. Elsewhere, a DG soldier snipes two WRO members. Another sniper snipes two more. A soldier breaks though the glass ceiling, sniping two more members. The complex is utterly overrun with DG soldiers, killing everything in sight] Reeve: Understood. You may begin mobilization. WRO Member: Commissioner! Reeve: Officer! [We hear a garbled scream in the background of the transmission] Reeve: Deepground!? [Reeve turns around and sees a Heavy Armor unit blasting a missile at him. The screen fades to white] [Back to Shalua and Shelke; as they're about to throw down, "Emergency" begins blaring throughout the complex] Shalua: They're back!? But why? Shelke: They were waiting for Azul. Shalua: Azul? Shelke: His death was merely a prologue to the true terror. [Scene change to Yuffie and Vincent, still sitting in the rear of the truck] WRO Member: We'll be arriving shortly. WRO Member: What the hell? [The truck shakes; Yuffie falls down, rolls around and knocks her head on the wall (again), this time falling unconscious. Vincent jumps out of the truck] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 6: DEEPGROUND STRIKES BACK [Vincent dispatches of the trio of machines (which look like Custom Sweepers from the original game) that derailed his truck. He proceeds through the wilderness, killing Guard Beasts, DG soldiers, and strange bug creatures along the way. He encounters a group of WRO Members and assists them; then, together with the WRO Members, they destroy a group of Helicopters intent on attacking WRO Headquarters] [Vincent proceeds to get closer to headquarters, eventually overhearing a transmission involving WRO Members, as they shout "This is headquarters. We need backup!" followed by ""Get away!", "What is that thing!?" and various screams followed by a beast's roar] [As he reaches the entrance to the headquarters, he's confronted by several DG soldiers... and another Black Widow. Boss battle vs. Black Widow II. Once it's defeated, he enters the headquarters... when Vincent had last been there 2 chapters ago it was in fine shape, but now it's a shell of what it once was; pretty much everything's destroyed. It's a surprise it's still standing; the ground floor is shredded and fires ravage the entire complex] [In one hallway, two WRO members are firing handguns at... something. Suddenly a 3rd member flies through the air and hits the two of them. We see the beast that has torn apart the complex. It's... very beastly!] Vincent: What the hell? Shelke: Azul. [Vincent turns around and sees Shelke & Shalua standing there. Azul storms towards them; Vincent fires but it has little to no effect. Shalua moves in to strike him, but gets knocked aside] Vincent: Shalua! [Azul knocks Vincent down. Shelke stands in front of Azul, looking at her fallen sister. To complete his trifecta, Azul smacks Shelke, sending her down. She dodges his second attempt, and pulls out a materia which momentarily paralyzes him] Shelke: The extreme potency of this shield materia is comparable to that of your barrier field, Azul. [He reverts to human form] Azul: Shelke? Why do you stand in my way? [She puts away the materia] Shelke: I had to protect myself. You were trying to kill me. Azul: Then now is the time. [He takes a swipe at her and she backs away] Azul: You are no longer required. Shelke: No longer...? Azul: You are no different from the others. Your weak body is nothing without mako. Azul: Your only skill is collecting data from inside a virtual reality. Azul: It makes me sick to even think of you as a member of the Tsviets. Azul: Weiss has ordered your termination. Shelke: Weiss!? Azul: Your mission was to identify and locate the keeper of the Protomateria. Azul: That is why we uploaded the doctor's data into your neural network. Azul: But now we no longer need it. And we cannot let it fall into the hands of the WRO. Azul: Your fate has been decided, Shelke. It is time for you to return to the planet. [Shelke pulls out her materia, paralyzing him in its shield once more. Shalua grabs her hand] Shalua: Vincent! Shelke! Let's get out of here! [They run to the door; Shalua slams a button and it opens. Vincent's the first one out; Shelke tries to stay in the room] Shelke: Let go of me! Shalua: I don't think so. We have ten years to catch up on. I'm not going to let this end here-- [The door begins to close] Vincent: Shalua! [Shalua sticks her robotic arm between the closing doors] Shelke: Why are you doing this? Shalua: You can still get through. Go on. [Shalua throws her through the opening] Shalua: Shelke. [Shelke looks back at her] Shalua: I'm sorry I wasn't a better sister. [We see Azul approaching her from the background, as the pressure of the doors destroys her arm] Shalua: I'm sorry I let you suffer so long. Shalua: Vincent. Take care of her, will you? [Vincent is grabbing the door, but it's still gradually closing] Vincent: Wait! Shalua: Shelke. Shalua: I'm glad I was able to find you. Shalua: And remember, I'll always love you. [The door closes. Vincent slams his hands on it] Shelke: Why? [We briefly see Azul's hand, then hear a loud thud. Beige liquid seeps under the door] Shelke: Why did she...? Why? Shelke: Shalua... [We hear another loud thud on the door. Vincent grabs Shelke and runs] [Scene change. Inside his thoroughly-destroyed office, Reeve is slumped on the ground, though still alive/conscious, just devastated at how easily the headquarters was destroyed. Vincent is by his side] Reeve: I'm so ashamed. Reeve: I am supposed to be a hero of the Jenova War. Reeve: But look at me. Vincent: Don't take all the blame. Vincent: You're not thinking of giving up, are you? Vincent: I used to be nothing but a stone in the river of time, but three years ago it was you and the others who taught me I had to move ahead. Reeve: Vincent... [Vincent walks away] [Scene changed: Shalua is inside one of the regeneration tubes. Yuffie is keeping watch over her: Vincent walks in] Yuffie: They say she won't wake up. Yuffie: She suffered too much trauma to her head. Unless there's some kind of a miracle, she's not... Yuffie: Vincent! You were there! Why couldn't you save her!? [Vincent looks down] Vincent: I'm sorry. Yuffie: No. Yuffie: I didn't mean to... [Shelke walks in] Shelke: She was a fool. [Yuffie stands up, walks over to her and slaps her!] Yuffie: You have no right to call her that! Yuffie: You don't know what...! [Vincent pulls Yuffie away from her] Shelke: Why would she do something so...? [Yuffie, about to cry, leaves the room] Vincent: Before, when I asked Shalua what she was searching for, she answered "her reason to live." Vincent: It was you, Shelke. You were her reason to live. Shelke: So? I don't understand how someone could give her own life for that of another. Shelke: Do you understand, Vincent Valentine? Vincent: I can't answer for your sister. But... Shelke: But? Vincent: When a person has someone they care about that much, giving their life is sometimes the least they can do. Vincent: And maybe that's what makes us human. Shelke: Someone they care about... Vincent: Although... it seems like there are a lot of people around me who don't need a reason to risk their lives for that of another. Shelke: And are you... [She nearly falls down; Vincent catches her. They look into each other's eyes; Flashback time!] [The screen is white] Lucrecia: ...ent... Lucrecia: Vincent... Lucrecia: Vincent... [Vincent is lying on a grassy field beneath a tree] Lucrecia: Fall asleep here, and you might catch a cold. [Vincent is startled] Lucrecia: Why are you so surprised? Is my face that hideous? Vincent: No. I didn't... I'm sorry. Lucrecia: And how are you supposed to be my bodyguard if you're up here sleeping? Vincent: The warm breeze... I was only going to rest my eyes for a minute. Lucrecia: Well, I have to admit, the breeze is quite comfortable. Lucrecia: However... I think you're in my seat. [Vincent goes "Huh?"; Lucrecia pulls a picnic basket out from behind her back] Lucrecia: Care to join me? [Screen fades back to white] [Back in the present, Vincent has his hands on Shelke's shoulders & they're looking at each other. She backs away] Shelke: I'm sorry. [She walks away] Shelke: Why are her data fragments responding? [Reeve walks in] Reeve: Vincent. I agree with you. This is not the time for us to give up. Reeve: But I need to know something. Those data files you recovered from Shinra Manor-- are you sure there were not any more? Vincent: I'm sure. Reeve: I see. Vincent: What's wrong? Reeve: Well, the Omega Report... The file was incomplete. Reeve: To make any sense out of it, we are going to require the other half. Reeve: If possible, I wanted to know more about our foe before we launched the attack on Midgar. [Shelke turns around] Shelke: Are you speaking of Dr. Lucrecia Crescent's findings? [Reeve gasps; he and Vincent look at her] Reeve: Yes. But how did you...? Shelke: A large quantity of her mnemonic data fragments has been uploaded into my neural network. Shelke: It was my prime directive to use this data to locate and retrieve the Protomateria. However, not only was the data incomplete, but part of her consciousness began interfering with my own thought processes. Shelke: It was believed that the missing fragments may have been the reason for this. I can attempt to upload the WRO's files on the Omega Report. Shelke: By combining it with the data I possess, you may obtain a clearer picture of what you will be up against. Shelke: And perhaps I can regain control of my mind. [Yuffie's voice blares over the intercom] Yuffie: Vincent! Reeve! You'd better get out here! [Reeve and Vincent walk outside the HQ, approaching Yuffie, who's waving her hands in the air] Yuffie: Cid!!! Hey!!! Over here!!! [The airship zips into view, and begins to descend. It's accompanied by an entire fleet, numbering at least a dozen, of similar airships] Yuffie: Wow! [Cut to Cid manning the helm of his airship] Cid: What the hell we waiting for!? Cid: It's time to get up 'n go! Cid: Come on get on board! [Cid smirks] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 7: THE SHERA [Camera panes around the bridge of the airship; various personnel rattle off different statistics; we next see the engine room, where people make similar comments. The Shera is all charged up & ready to go!] [Cid spots Vincent and leaves the wheel to talk to him] Cid: Hey! Vincent! Long time. WRO Member: Captain! [Cid quickly returns to the wheel] Cid: Sorry 'bout that. Cid: As much as I'd like to sit down and reminisce 'bout old times, you'll have to take a rain check. Why don't you have a look around my bird until the meeting? [Vincent makes his way around the airship, first encountering Yuffie] Yuffie: [heaving, like she's about to throw up] Man, I hate airships. I knew I shouldn't have had eggs for breakfast. Yuffie: Sorry Vince. I don't feel like talking much. [Eventually Vincent arrives at a computer lab, where Shelke is working at a computer and Shalua remains inside her regenerative tube] Shelke: After the assault begins, the headquarters' facilities will no longer be available. Shelke: And to think, just a few days ago, I was the one who was in there. Shelke: No, forget I said anything. Vincent: What are you working on? Shelke: I'm in the process of modifying this equipment so I can perform an SND--a synaptic net dive. Vincent: Synaptic net dive? Shelke: My specialty within the Tsviets. Shelke: While retaining consciousness, I project an image of myself into a virtual reality called a network. Shelke: I can also use this ability to negotiate with data on the subconscious planes of sentient life forms. Shelke: However, this often involves a great risk to my own sanity. Shelke: For Shinra, the success of the SND project was crucial for their next step in... Shelke: I'm sorry. I seem to have gotten off-track. Simply put, I'm creating a personal network terminal within the airship's main control console. [Vincent backs up slightly] Shelke: What? Vincent: Nothing. You just remind me of your sister. [Vincent leaves. In another room, he encounters Reeve, sitting down] Reeve: Thanks to Shelke's half of the data, I have been able to make more sense of the report. But I still require more time to piece together the fragments. I will give you all a detailed briefing at the meeting. [Once all three individuals have been talked to, the scene changes; everyone's on the bridge. It's meeting time!] Cid: Alright. Our old buddies and the remaining WRO squads will lead the ground assault... [Scene change; a lone truck is driving through the Wastelands. Barret is at the helm, with Tifa in the passenger seat] Tifa: I see it! [The rear of the truck opens up. Cloud is sitting on his motorcycle; he puts his driving goggles on] Cloud: Time to go, Fenrir. [He drives out of the truck, and then ahead of it; Cloud is leading the way] Barret: Awright! Tifa: Yeah! [As the camera pans out, we see the truck is just one of over a dozen, and the entire convoy is on a direct course to Midgar] [Back to the meeting; Yuffie is holding a bag of ice to her forehead] Yuffie: ...while we launch our attack from the air. Cid: Right. So Reeve, you ready? Reeve: Yes. [Scene changes to show Shelke about to put on her VR helmet again; Cait Sith is in the room with her.] Cait Sith: Alright. Take it away, Shelke! [She puts it on and lies back in her chair] Shelke: Very well. Shelke: Data fragment link... successful. Commencing synaptic net dive in 3, 2, 1 ... [She begins the dive. On the bridge, Cid, Vincent, Reeve and Yuffie are exposed to a hologram of the universe] Cid: What the? Are we in...? Yuffie: What? What? [A distinct female voice-over recites Reeve's report] Girl: Just as we return to the planet when our lifelight has faded, the planet returns to the cosmos when her time has come. Girl: Anything that has definite shape will one day cease to exist. The same is true for this world. [The quartet are exposed to an image of a trio of meteors striking the planet, spreading a wave of fire over it] Girl: Before she takes her final breath, the pure Lifestreams that flow freely beneath her crust will be brought together into one by Omega--the ultimate lifeform. His purpose: to gather all life, sentient and non, and lead it into the sea of stars, where it will embark on a fabulous journey along a road untraveled. [The lifestreams, which had been gathering at one point, blast off into the universe] Girl: However, when Omega has lifted the life from this planet, all that will remain will be an empty shell destined to die silently in the limitless void of space. [The barren, lifeless world, begins to crack, then fall apart - very similar to Bugenhagen's demonstration of a lifeless planet from the original game] [Back on the Shera's bridge; the universal light show has ended, and the female voice-overs are replaced by Shelke voice-overs] Shelke: Omega is the same type of life form as the Weapons we encountered three years ago. Shelke: The planet gave birth to these creatures to protect itself just as the planet will ultimately give birth to the final Weapon, Omega, when the end of the world is imminent. Shelke: In essence, Omega is an elaborate safety mechanism designed solely to maintain and protect the flow of life. Shelke: Normally, Omega poses no threat to us. It only manifests when the planet has detected something that may cause her danger. Reeve: However, Deepground is attempting to awaken the beast early. Thus the kidnappings. [Brief scene change; Cait Sith puts on the VR helmet, then waves to Shelke. She nods at him. The screen is black, and we hear the screams & cries of many people] Cait Sith: Good gracious me! [Scene changes back to the bridge] Reeve: By slaughtering thousands of innocent souls, they are creating a pure Lifestream in order to trick the planet into thinking the "end" is near. Cid: Why, those conniving...! Cid: I don't know what this Weiss character is tryin', but he's crazy if he thinks we're gonna let him get away with it. Reeve: Right. Reeve: Omega is being revived deep beneath Midgar in Mako Reactor 0. Reeve: To increase the output of Reactor 0, all the other reactors have been tied into its mainframe. Our objective is to destroy 1 through 8 and slow the reanimation process. Reeve: Mission details for each squad will be relayed separately. Cid: Alright. We've still got some time before the big show. Cid: You got anything needs tending to, do it. [Back to gameplay; Vincent talks to Cid, who's back at the wheel of The Shera] Cid: Vince, don't worry about the reactors. We'll take care of them. Cid: You work on those four wackos. Cid: I don't like letting you have all the fun, but you know I can't leave my baby here alone. Cid: Cloud and the others will be shutting down the power, and there's no way we're lettin' Yuffie go down there by herself. Cid: Sorry buddy. Looks like from here on out it's Vince versus the Tsviets. [Cid faces Vincent, and puts his hand on Vincent's shoulder] Cid: We're counting on you, old pal. [Optional dialogue, but I'm including it anyways. If you talk to Cid again...] Cid: Yeah, but just look at Cait... I mean, Reeve. When the hell did he become so important? All this you see around you--everything here--he put up the gil for it. 'Course that's on the condition that I help him save the world. What I want to know is where he got that kind of cash. [Talking to Cid AGAIN, even more optional] Cid: When all this is over, how about we grab a couple of cold ones. Just like the good ol' days, huh? Cid: Even Shera's been worried about you, and you know how she gets. [Back to the laboratory to talk with Shelke] Shelke: So tired... Shelke: Vincent Valentine. Vincent: What? Shelke: This feeling. Is this what you meant by doing something for someone you care about? Vincent: It seems so. Shelke: Dr. Crescent's data has begun defragmenting within my mind. Shelke: I can see many different images. Shelke: Images she experienced with you. Shelke: Interference... Recovery... So tired... [She falls asleep] [And back to the room where Reeve is sitting] Vincent: So, no costume today? Reeve: [laughs] Headquarters was pretty much destroyed by the Deepground forces. But I was able to salvage a few things. [A Cait Sith approaches them] Cait Sith: Number 6, ready for action! [Talking to Reeve again, some more optional dialogue] Vincent: Tell me, Reeve. Who's backing your operation? Cait Sith: Oh, that. [Reeve laughs a bit] Reeve: Actually, I'm not sure. I have only met with a representative. Reeve: However, the WRO is crucial for this planet's survival. Reeve: I'm not concerned with the reasons this person has for helping us, as long as he continues writing the checks. Though, I have a feeling it is probably someone who believes he is in debt to the planet. [And another convo with a still-heaving, still-airsick Yuffie] Yuffie: Did you hear? They attacked Wutai as well. Yuffie: Thanks to my dad and the Wusheng, things didn't turn out as bad as they could have, but... But I'm worried about my old man. He's not as young as he used to be. Yuffie: He's gonna have a heart attack one of these days, if not give me one! [Talking to Yuffie again, optional dialogue] Yuffie: Now, if I was there, dad wouldn't even have to put down his mai tai. Yuffie: What? What? [Another optional convo...] Yuffie: I could take out Deepground with one hand tied behind my back! [She starts to punch the air... then heaves] [Vincent approaches a lower area of The Shera. He clutches at his heart, which begins to beat louder, and he hears a beast's roar... he looks at his hand as he begins to glow red. He's now in Chaos mode. He claws at a wall, and is about to go kill some people when...] Lucrecia: Vincent. [He turns around and sees Lucrecia standing there. He reaches out to her with his right hand. His arm glows, and he returns to being Vincent... the hallucination disappears] Vincent: What's happening? [He looks at his hands] Vincent: A dream? [He turns his head & notices the clawing of the wall. He gasps... and clutches at his heart once again, as it beats louder] Vincent: Am I losing control? [Shelke is standing behind him... she walks away] [Back on the bridge, the camera's on Cid] Cid: Okay dogs, it's time! Cid: All hands to battle stations! [Scene change: The sun is setting, as Azul, Nero and Rosso stand on the outskirts of Midgar] Azul: A simultaneous attack from land and air. Azul: I think they may be serious this time. Rosso: They had better be. I've been so bored lately. Nero: His awakening is near. Let tonight be the final chapter. [Back in the Shera's hangar, as the WRO troops prepare for battle. Yuffie's there with them. Cid's voice blares over the intercom] Cid: Listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once! Cid: If any more of you are killed by those punks, I'll drag you back from hell and kill you again! Cid: You really want to piss off those SOBs, then why not try stayin' alive! Cid: That's what this war's all about! Cid: If you live, everybody behind you lives. If you die, they die! Cid: You got that? Now go kick some Deepground ass! [Yuffie & Everyone else cheers] [Scene change; Shelke talks to Vincent; Reeve is by their side] Shelke: Vincent Valentine. [hands him a phone] Vincent: What's this? Shelke: Your phone. I retrieved it in Kalm. Shelke: I've modified it slightly. Just dial #VIN to contact my personal terminal directly. Shelke: From this workstation, I can perform a synaptic net dive into almost any network system in Midgar. Shelke: I may also be able to help guide you into Deepground. [Vincent looks at Reeve; he crosses his arms] Shelke: It's not what you think. Shelke: By monitoring your movement, Dr. Crescent's data fragments are restored within me. Shelke: I'm simply providing this service for my own benefit. Vincent: I didn't say anything. Shelke: I... Anyway... my resources here are limited. Do not expect too much. Vincent: I'm counting on you, Shelke. Shelke: I... It's just I've never actually been "counted on" by anyone before. Shelke: Never mind. Reeve: Well then, can I "count on" you to keep an eye on the airship while we're away as well? [Shelke gasps] Reeve: I have already witnessed your strength and skill once. Reeve: This is war, and we have to be ready for anything. Your assistance would be of great help. Shelke: My assistance? Reeve: Exactly. WRO Member: Commissioner! Reeve: Excuse me. Vincent, I will see you again before deployment. And Shelke remember, I'm counting on you. [Reeve leaves; a few moments later, Vincent looks at Shelke and leaves too] Shelke: Fighting for... [She shakes her head] Shelke: No, I have no one to fight for. No one at all. [She walks away] [Oh man FMV time. Cid punches one hand into his palm, all dramatic-like] Cid: This is it! Cid: Go! [The fleet of airships approach Midgar. Deepground is ready for them, as an array of helicopters, black widows, and hundreds of soldiers prepare to fire on them. A group of Heavy Armored soldiers launch a barrage of missiles, hitting a couple of airships; an airship returns fire, taking out several black widows. Gunfire and missiles fill the air; the bottom of an airship opens up, as a robotic female voice announces "Hatch open. Prepare for drop." Elsewhere, Shelke jumps into her chair and puts her helmet on] Yuffie: See you boys later! [Yuffie and the other soldiers dive out of the airship on hoverboard devices] Yuffie: Going down! [Cut back to Shelke, who's monitoring the developments] Shelke: Advance squad away. Secondary squad, prepare for drop. [The air battle rages on, as the fleet of trucks (and Cloud on his motorcycle) approach the city, while being heavily fired upon. Cloud leads the way] Tifa: Barret! [Barret responds with a "Yo!" Cloud holds his sword in his right hand, while a stream of missiles fire from the top of Barret's truck, destroying all in their path. Cloud rides through the resulting firestorm. High above the action, Rosso sees Cloud approach. She giggles to herself, and jumps down. Cloud looks up in time to see Rosso, weapon unfurled, about to perform an epic spinning attack on him] [A large explosion occurs at his motorcycle, and we next see Cloud and Rosso gliding through the air, both attempting to strike the other. The clash of their weapons results in a large energy shockwave] [Elsewhere, Azul (with his large gun/rocket launcher in tow) fires into the air. The blast hits an airship. Which loses control and..] Cid: What the!? [...collides with the Shera. A fire breaks out in the hatch area; Vincent and the WRO members dive out on their hoverboards just in time] Shelke: Transmission with bay 9 lost. Damage to the Shera minimal. Cid: Damn! They're gonna pay for that! [A helicopter fires at Vincent; a few key gunshots causes it to explode. Vincent continues to glide down as he continues to be fired upon. After some more acrobatic moves, he successfully lands inside Midgar, staring at the Shinra Tower] [Gameplay resumes; the sun has set and the sky is showing signs of twilight. The war still rages on around him. He sees a train in front of him; his phone rings & he answers] Shelke: What do you think you're doing? Shelke: You have landed several klicks off your target destination. Shelke: However, considering the location of the enemy, this could work to your advantage. Head for the central complex and locate a means of reaching the top level.You will only be able to enter Deepground from the upper platform. I'll contact you again. Shelke out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 8: MIDGAR ASSAULT / FIGHT FOR THE CENTRAL COMPLEX [Vincent makes his way through the area, eventually encountering WRO Members] WRO Member: Mr. Valentine! WRO Member: We missed our landing point. WRO Member: This looks like the old sector 7 slums. The Train Graveyard. Vincent: Yes it does. WRO Member: Sir, I've received a radio transmission reporting the remaining air squads have reached the upper level plates and joined the ground forces. Vincent: Fine. [Vincent begins to walk away... the WRO Member turns to face him] WRO Member: Sir... [He turns around] WRO Member: Requesting permission to accompany you until we have reached the complex! Vincent: Do as you wish. WRO Member: Sir! Thank you, sir! [Vincent encounters another WRO Member, cowering behind a crate] WRO Member: I was just taking a breather. [Vincent walks away] WRO Member: Sir! Let me join you! Vincent: Just don't get in my way. [Vincent and the WRO Members continue through the Train Graveyard. At one point, a female WRO Member is crouched, gun ready, peering around a corner] WRO Member: You know, I was born in Midgar. WRO Member: My brother and I used to play here all the time. My mom didn't approve, though. WRO Member: After she died, my brother joined a Shinra resistance group, but was killed when the plate fell and... WRO Member: I can't believe this place is still here. [A different WRO Member runs up to them] WRO Member: Lieutenant! Soldiers! [The gameplay continues; eventually you run into a WRO Commander] WRO Member: Commander! [The Commander then speaks to you] WRO Member: Vincent Valentine! Thank you for your assistance! WRO Member: To reach the central complex, you must proceed through this maze of decommissioned train cars. WRO Member: However, I have received reports that beyond the graveyard are some of the enemy's most powerful defenses. Vincent: Alright. I'll see what I can do. WRO Member: Wait! I can't let you go without backup! Vincent: No. Vincent: You heard what Cid said. Your job is to live. If you come with me, chances are you'll all die. WRO Member: Understood. I'll remain here until the current situation has improved. [salutes] Good luck, sir. [Continuing on some more, until he finds yet another WRO Member, this time injured. The Member pulls his gun on Vincent, then lowers it] WRO Member: Vincent Valentine. [Camera fades out, then fades back in] Vincent: There's no way out of here? WRO Member: None. I looked all over, but I found nothing. It looks like we're both stuck in here. [Vincent thinks for a moment, then pulls out his phone and calls someone, the 'someone' obviously being...] Vincent: Shelke. Shelke: Vincent Valentine? [Camera does the fade out & fade in thing from before] Shelke: The only way out of the graveyard is through a nearby underground passage. Vincent: Where? Shelke: I'm uploading the location now. Shelke: Also, up ahead, Deepground has established a heavy line of defense. Shelke: You probably won't even break a sweat, but I thought I would let you know. [Vincent hangs up] [He continues on, getting to another part of the Train Graveyard. His phone rings] Shelke: Vincent Valentine. Shelke: You've reached the central complex. Proceed up to reach the plate surface. [she gasps] Vincent: What's wrong? Shelke: The approaching Deepground squa-- No, it's nothing. I'll contact you agai-- [DG soldiers with jetpacks fly in from above] Shelke: Aerial troopers. Good luck, Vincent. [Boss battle vs. Shrikes. Vincent easily takes them out, dispatching of the last one in a cutscene.] [Vincent makes his way through the complex. Eventually he makes his way to the top, and there to greet him is... Rosso] Rosso: Still alive, I see. Rosso: And you call yourself human? Vincent: More human than you. Rosso: More human than I? [Laughs] Tell me something I don't already know, darling! Rosso: I'm a Tsviet! I traded away my human weaknesses for power long ago. Rosso: It is the path I've chosen. Rosso: And the path I'll tread. Rosso: Until I've sucked all life from this pitiful world! Rosso: And I'm not going to let you get in the way. Rosso: You've lived long enough, Vincent Valentine. Rosso: And I'll make sure you don't come back this time by slicing you into pieces! [She takes out her weapon. Boss battle vs. Rosso the Crimson. After you take off about a quarter of her health...] Rosso: Do you know why they call me "the Crimson," darling? Rosso: Let me show you! [Boss battle vs. Bloodburst Rosso - way faster and tougher! Still a cakewalk for Vincent. After the fight she's on the ground] Rosso: Someone stronger... Rosso: than... [She slowly gets up] Rosso: Absurd... Rosso: Absurd! Rosso: Our time here together is done. Rosso: But the mighty Azul awaits. [She runs to the edge of the platform] Rosso: I shall not grant you the pleasure of killing Rosso the Crimson. Rosso: No one will ever stand above me! [A beam of energy appears in her hand] Rosso: No one! No one! No one!] [After each "No one", she strikes the platform around her with the energy beam, forming the shape of a square. Her part of the platform begins to fall down, and she cackles maniacally as she falls to her death] [Vincent is walking, and picks up his phone] Shelke: Vincent Valentine. [We see Shelke is still sitting in her chair with the helmet on] Shelke: The ground squads have not been able to penetrate the Deepground defenses. Shelke: The mako reactors are still operating at full capacity. Vincent: So it seems. Shelke: What is your location? Vincent: Shinra building... or what remains of it. [The building's wrecked, and on fire] Shelke: The same as it was three years ago. Shelke: Though, after Meteorfall, there wasn't much left of Midgar at all. Shelke: With the exception of Deepground. Shelke: The passage to Deepground should be located within Shinra building. Shelke: Search for the president's personal entrance. Vincent: Alright. [Vincent feels the pain in his chest again; he collapses the screen goes black,and we hear the howl of Chaos. It fades back in, and we see he's still Vincent, though he's dropped his phone on the ground] Shelke: Is something wrong? [A DG mutant dog runs up to Vincent from behind; Vincent punches it away, stands up, and growls] Shelke: Vincent! [He regains his composure; he still hasn't transformed] Vincent: What's going on? Vincent: Why is Chaos...? Why now? [Scene changes back to Shelke] Shelke: You really don't know, do you? Shelke: The Protomateria helped you control Chaos. Now that you've lost it your mental state has become extremely unstable. [Back to Vincent] Vincent: Protomateria? Control Chaos? Shelke: Yes. If you recall, you had it extracted from your chest by Rosso. [Scene changes back to Shelke; while we see her lips move, it's Lucrecia's voice we hear] Shelke: Chaos. While a part of you, the entity exists independently from the rest of your body. Vincent: Shelke? Shelke: Chaos. The harbinger of anarchy. [Vincent turns around. He seems an image of Lucrecia, standing there] Vincent: Lucrecia. [She begins to walk toward him, and speaks in synch with Shelke] Shelke/Lucrecia: Born before the planet dies, he shall gather together all life for Omega's journey to the sea of stars. That is Chaos. And he slumbers inside you. [The camera pans away; we see Vincent is looking at nothing, and Lucrecia is just a hallucination] Lucrecia: I'm so sorry. Lucrecia: You must fight him. I don't want you to die... [She disappears] Vincent: Lucrecia! [Scene change back to Shelke] Shelke: You must fight him. Shelke: I don't want you to die. [Her helmet malfunctions; sparks fly everywhere; she takes it off, while we see a red alarm blaring in the distance] [Back to Cid at the helm of the Shera] Cid: Hey! Engine room! What the hell's going on down there!? Cid: Engine room! Dammit! Shelke: What is wrong? Cid: Don't have a damn clue. All of a sudden, engine levels began dropping like crazy. We haven't taken any direct hits, so everything should be running like clockwork. Shelke: I will go have a look. Cid: Thanks. Counting on you. [She nods, and sprints to the engine room. Upon entering, she sees clouds of black energy throughout the room. An engine or two is on fire] Shelke: It can't be. Nero: Fancy meeting you here, Shelke. [She turns around to face him] Shelke: You. Nero: Quite unexpected. Shelke: Why did you come here, Nero? Nero: Why? I was short a few souls, and came to collect. Shelke: What did you do with the crew? Nero: [laughs] Need you ask? Look around. My mission is complete. Shelke: Oh... [She turns around and sees a motionless Cait Sith on the ground. She turns to face Nero once more, and... takes out her weapon!] Nero: And what do we think we are doing? Shelke: I don't really know. Shelke: However, since coming here I have realized one thing-- Shelke: I don't want to let down anyone who's counting on me. Nero: Pure nonsense. Shelke: Nonsense? Perhaps. [Her weapon turns on. She attempts to hit Nero repeatedly, but he dodges or parries all her blows. Eventually he steps back, and his wings shift and fire bullets at Shelke, who puts up a shield to stop them. A black portal appears behind Nero... and the camera fades to black] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 9: AN EMPIRE IN RUINS [Vincent makes his way through the familiar (though largely destroyed) lobby of the Shinra Tower, eventually finding the President's entrance to Deepground. He ventures further, eventually encountering... another Black Widow! Boss fight vs. Black Widow TW. Easily dispatched] [Vincent continues on, eventually realizing he's a bit lost. He phones someone, but a "beep beep beep" implies the user is unavailable (as a result of Shelke's confrontation with Nero). He then receives a phone call] Tifa: Hey, I got through! Vincent: Tifa? Barret: Wha? You got through!? Yo! Vincent! You still alive!? Tifa: Of course he is, we're talking to him, aren't we? And do you really have to shout right next to my ear? Barret: [laughs] Sorry 'bout that, Tifa! Tifa: I apologize, Vincent. Here's Cloud. Cloud: Vincent? Vincent: Cloud. It's been a while. [Camera does the fade-out/fade-in thing] Vincent: Cid's airship? Cloud: We lost contact about 15 minutes ago. Cloud: I don't think we have to worry, though. Those two should be fine. Vincent: Yeah. And what about you? Cloud: What do you think? Tifa: Right! You can count on us! Barret: When I'm through, there won't be a single sucka standing! Vincent: Right. Cloud: And as for you... [Vincent interjects] Vincent: Don't worry. Leave Deepground to me. Cloud: Can you hold on a second? Cloud: Tifa. Tifa: Got it! Tifa: Vincent, I'm sending you a map of the Shinra Building. [Vincent receives the map] Tifa: Deepground is below the complex. Take an elevator as far down as you can. Tifa: Good lu-- Barret: Give 'em hell, Vincent! Tifa: Barret, I thought I told you to-- Cloud: Don't go getting yourself killed, now. [They hang up; Vincent does the same, and moves on] [So Vincent keeps going through the sprawling underground complex - this chapter is pretty thin on story. Eventually though, Vincent arrives at a large elevator that will lead him to the Deepground complex. And standing on this elevator is... Azul!] Azul: So Rosso didn't survive. [Azul looks up and goes "Ohhh". Energy is emanating from Vincent's body] Azul: Something inside you wants out. Azul: Its stench is so very familiar. [Azul has a hearty laugh] Azul: Come, Vincent! Show me your rage! Azul: Now, let the killing begin! [He picks up his huge gun; the elevator begins to descend, as the Boss Battle vs. Neo Azul commences. After the battle, the gun's on the ground; Azul laughs] Azul: This is how a battle should be. Don't you think so? Azul: Now feel my true strength. Feel the wrath of Azul the Cerulean! [Azul transforms into the beast from WRO HQ. Boss fight vs. Arch Azul, He gets defeated... but he's still in beast form after the battle! He charges forward and slaps Vincent, who hits the elevator's side railing hard] Azul: Stand! This isn't over yet. [Vincent stands] Azul: Good. Now come and fight. [Vincent zips in and punches Azul hard in his chest area. Bright light emanates from it] Azul: Why you! [A huge explosion blinds the screen. When the smoke clears, Chaos is standing there, and Azul is back in human mode] Azul: Chaos? [Chaos is holding Azul's gun. He launches it forward , and it pierces through Azul's stomach] Azul: It looks like you were more a beast than I. Azul: Very well. I'll see you again, Vincent... in hell! [Chaos powers up, and shoots forward an energy blast that send Azul crashing through the railing, and off the elevator] Azul: Hail Weiss! [He tumbles down the endless abyss while laughing maniacally. Chaos roars; we see Nero has been watching this saga from above] Nero: So that is Chaos. Intriguing. Nero: "Soul wrought of terra corrupt." Nero: Perhaps I should simply let him live out his destiny of destruction. [Nero vanishes & as he does he drops a cellphone. Chaos turns and looks at it] Lucrecia: I'm so sorry. [Flashback; Vincent is inside the regenerative tube in Shinra Manor while Lucrecia looks over him] Lucrecia: Vincent. Just a little longer. Then I can let you out. [She turns around, then collapses on her knees] Lucrecia: What's wrong with me lately? Maybe I've been working too hard. [we see Hojo, and he gives off a "Hah!"] Hojo: I thought I heard a rat down here. Hojo: And just what do you think you're doing with my failed experiment? Lucrecia: Get out of my lab! Hojo: Silence! I'm the one giving orders here! [He approaches Lucrecia, and notices the computer screen behind her... then he goes "Ha ha ha"] Hojo: Omega? And Chaos? [He turns to Vincent and laughs again] Hojo: I see. Another experiment? You're using this fine specimen to finish your thesis, aren't you, Doctor? Lucrecia: No. You're wrong! Hojo: Am I? Once a scientist, always a scientist, I must say. Hojo: How happy this fellow must be. Helping his beloved even after he's begun rotting away. [Hojo laughs maniacally again as he walks away; Lucrecia buries her face in her hands and begins to cry] Lucrecia: no. This is no experiment. It's... [Scene changes back to the president. Vincent is sprawled on his back] Vincent: Chaos. Lucrecia used me to... Lucrecia... Vincent: So this pain is... [He slowly stands up, walks over to the dropped cell phone, and looks at it] Vincent: Shelke? [The elevator begins to rumble; it's reached the bottom] Vincent: Deepground. Shinra's dark secret. Vincent: Three years of hell below and now a world of hell above. Vincent: The path to darkness opens once more. [A large door opens, and we get a glimpse of the inside; a Mako Reactor with a "00" emblazoned on it; and a massive, sprawling underground city] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 10: SHINRA'S DARK SECRET [Vincent proceeds forward a bit; in the distance he notices a bunch of Gargoyles fly up to him. For a long time, Vincent makes his way throughout the Deepground complex/city, with no story developments; just a lot of dungeon crawling] [Eventually, something of note happens; a whirlpool of black energy suddenly appears behind Vincent! He tries to run away, but it engulfs him; he's surrounded by darkness, and it completely swallows him. Somewhere in the darkness, a small blip of light appears and gets larger. A girl's voice is heard] Girl: No. Don't let Chaos control you. Girl: You cannot be contained by his darkness because a part of you was born from it. Find yourself. Regain control. [The darkness disappears from around Vincent; we see him jump out of the darkness cocoon that had enveloped him] [Scene change; somewhere else in the darkness that Vincent had just escaped from, we see Shelke, encased in a blue ball of energy (most likely generated by her Shield materia)] Shelke: As old as he is, and still acting like a helpless child. Shelke: I can see why Lucrecia had such a difficult time. [Cracks begin to form in the Shield] Shelke: I don't know why I'm doing this. Shelke: I will die when my magic runs out, anyway. Girl: Is this...? [Shelke looks up and gasps] [Scene change; we see the "girl" was Lucrecia. It's another flashback; it's a flashback to when she first discovered the cave that would later be known as "Lucrecia's Cave"; the crystal formation is there as well] v Lucrecia: Is this the place you spoke of? [An older man is standing beside Lucrecia. His clothes slightly resemble Vincent's current attire, though they're almost entirely black] Man: Yes. Deep within this grotto is where Chaos is destined to awake. [Lucrecia runs towards the crystals & giggles] Man: Wait! Lucrecia: Come on, Dr. Valentine! [Dr. Grimoire Valentine goes "heh"] Grimoire: The fountain isn't going anywhere. [Scene change; we're in the laboratory of Shinra Manor, Grimoire is standing by Lucrecia's side as she works on the computer; a ball of dark energy appears to be festering inside one of the regenerative tubes] Grimoire: Don't you think you are taking things a little too quickly? Lucrecia: And why not? All those people at Shinra who laughed at my thesis... I have to prove them wrong! Grimoire: Rushing into matters will get you nowhere, Doctor. [Grimoire looks at the black ball of energy and goes "Hmm?" The black ball soon expands, filling the tube. Lucrecia gets up from her computer, as the energy cracks the tube] Grimoire: Look out! [Grimoire shoves Lucrecia out of the way, as the dark energy hits him in his right hand/arm. Lucrecia gets up and rushes to his side] Lucrecia: Are you alright, Dr. Valentine? Grimoire: I'll be fine. Grimoire: I'll be... [Scene change; no idea where we are now (the background is black), but Grimoire is on his back and Lucrecia is by his side. His eyes are closed and green particles are floating upward from his body] Lucrecia: Dr. Valentine! Grimoire: Tell my son that I'm sorry. [Lucrecia shakes her head] Lucrecia: Dr. Valentine! Dr. Valentine! [He looks at her, as the green particle-evaporation quickens] Grimoire: My time has come to return to the Lifestream. [He disappears] Lucrecia: No! Lucrecia: No! Come back! Why did you have to fade away!? Why did you... [The camera pans out and we see Shelke is observing a crying Lucrecia] Shelke: It's alright. He simply returned to the planet. [Scene change; still clearly a flashback, someone is crying over a cross draped with flowers, though we don't see who... we just see the cross] Girl: Stop crying, Shelke. Shelke: But... But... Girl: It's alright. Mom just returned to the planet. We'll see her again. Shelke: We will? [She turns around, and we see the Girl in question is a younger Shalua] Shelke: (Is this...?) Shalua: Of course we will. Shelke: (No... Shalua?) Shalua: Mom said everything in this world flows around in a circle. That means she'll come back someday. [The younger Shelke stops crying] Shalua: Mom wouldn't lie to us, right? Shelke: Right. Shalua: Right. [Back to the present, Shelke is still dreaming or hallucinating] Shelke: Shalua... [Shalua appears beside her] Shalua: Shelke. Shalua: Is it alright for me to return to the planet? Shelke: No... [Shalua looks at her] Shelke: Not yet. There's still so much I... [Shalua pets her hair] Shalua: Don't worry. We'll see each other again. [We see Shelke is still inside her cracked Shield; she wakes up] Shelke: A dream? Shelke: No... Data interference. [One teardrop rolls down her cheek; then another on the other cheek. She wipes the first one away] Shelke: I didn't think I had any tears left. [Back to Vincent, who's staring at the swirling dark energy he escaped from. He turns around and continues on: gameplay resumes, and he continues through Deepground's complex. Eventually he reaches a gateway, which puts him one step closer to Mako Reactor 0. But plumes of dark energy are scattered about, which can only mean...] Nero: A pleasure to finally meet you, Vincent. Vincent: Nero. Nero: At first, I thought you nothing more than a nuisance. However, it seems I can no longer let you run about unchained. I must protect my beloved brother. Vincent: Your brother? Nero: Dear Weiss. Powerful Weiss. The only person who ever loved me. And the only person I will ever love. However... [Nero hangs his head] Nero: [Sighs] But that is all forgotten. In a matter of moments, everything will change. Vincent: What did you do with Shelke? Nero: Shelke? Nero: Ah yes, what did I do with her? I do recall running into the lass when I journeyed to the airship. A feisty one, she is. Nero: The girl is inside me, lost like a little puppy. [Vincent lifts his gun, Nero goes "Ah"] Nero: So you wish to dance? [Nero quickly draws both of his gun. You're thrown into a boss battle vs. Nero the Sable! A remarkably easy boss fight, too. Afterwards, Nero's on the ground; he gets up] Nero: Impressive. Perhaps Azul and Rosso never stood a chance against the mighty Valentine. Nero: But enough. I have other matters to attend to. [Nero engulfs Vincent in darkness; the scene changes to Shelke, also in the darkness, with her cracked Shield-bubble losing strength] Shelke: So this is the end. [Someone is there; she looks up. It's Vincent!] Vincent: I think you dropped this. [Shows her her cellphone] Vincent: Unless you find something appealing about this place, I suggest we leave. Let's go. [She nods] [Back on the battlefield, Nero is observing the darkness that he sent Vincent into. He begins to walk away,but out come Vincent & Shelke. Nero turns around] Nero: I see. Nero: Soul wrought of terra corrupt. Nero: My darkness would have no control over you, would it? Nero: So I must try a different dance. Nero: How about... [He generates a large cloud of darkness behind him, but is quickly distracted as a shuriken hits the ground near his feet. We see Yuffie high above, sporting her "mysterious ninja" garb from the Shinra Manor] Yuffie: Even in a world where fear and despair reign over the heavens, you must never forget--where there is shadow, there is always light! Yuffie: That's right! Yuffie: Bask in my rays, evildoers! Yuffie: Feel the radiance of Wutai Super Ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi! Yuffie: Back and ready for action! [Awkward silence] Nero: My brother calls. [He turns around and disappears in his darkness. Vincent looks at Shelke, who's sprawled on the ground] Vincent: Are you alright? Shelke: I... Shelke: I don't know. Shelke: Maybe I was dreaming. Yuffie: Hey! [Waves her hands] Yuffie: Over here, guys! [Trips due to the hand-waving; falls down hard. Vincent sighs] [Scene change; inside some room of the Deepground complex. Apparently here they have regenerative tubes, because Shelke is presently in one. Yuffie is by Vincent's side.] Vincent: Will you be alright? Shelke: Yes. Yuffie: Okay! Now, let me see if I've got this. You keep going, find Nero and Weiss, and smack 'em into next Tuesday. And while you're cleaning house, I sneak into the reactor and shut her down. [Yuffie twirls] Yuffie: Sounds like a plan. Yuffie: So, see ya around, Vince! [She runs off. Vincent begins to walk away, but...] Shelke: Vincent Valentine. [He turns back to face her. The camera pans out, and we see a nearby computer terminal state "Discoverer" followed by "Grimoire Valentine"] [Flashback. Vincent walks into the laboratory in Shinra Manor] Vincent: Lucrecia? Hello? Vincent: Anybody here? [He sees a computer terminal that profile's Grimoire Valentine's Shinra bio] Vincent: Father? Lucrecia: Who's...!? Vincent: Lucrecia. This file... Lucrecia: It's none of your business. Vincent: But it is. Why didn't you tell me you worked with my father? [He reaches for her arm, she smacks his hand away] Lucrecia: Stop it! Just stop it! Vincent: Lucrecia... [The background is now black; we only see Lucrecia and Vincent] Lucrecia: I... It was all my fault. [We see Lucrecia and Vincent are now holding hands. She's on the verge of sobbing] Lucrecia: I didn't mean for your father to die. I couldn't... I'm so sorry. [She starts to cry and runs away; Vincent just stands there] Vincent: But I never blamed her. All I wanted was to see her smiling face. Vincent: But after that day, the light left her heart. [The camera pans away from Vincent. We see Lucrecia facing Hojo, as a light shines on him] Hojo: So you've come to your senses and chosen me. Lucrecia: Yes, doctor. [She hugs him] Vincent: However, if she is happy, then I don't mind. [Fade out on Lucrecia and Hojo embracing, and Vincent standing around like the lonely sorry bastard he is] [Back to the present; Shelke's wakes up inside the tube] Shelke: Another dream? [Vincent is standing in front of her] Shelke: Vincent Valentine. Shelke: Why are you fighting this battle? Vincent: To destroy Deepground and stop Omega's return. Vincent: It's time that an end is put to this madness. Or at least, that is what I tell myself. Vincent: Though I'm not completely sure that's the reason. Shelke: Not sure. Neither am I. Shelke: But, Vincent... I don't want to see the world end. I just don't want there to be any more pain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 11: BEGINNINGS [Vincent makes his way closer to the reactor; another group of Gargoyles attack him. As he continues on, it becomes increasingly apparent that Vincent is in the same area that Cait Sith originally ventured into many chapters ago] [Vincent eventually gets to the bridge leading into the reactor. Before he can enter, though... a helicopter comes into view, with numerous Gargoyles sitting on it. Boss fight vs. Dragonfly PT. Easily defeated, like always] [He walks makes his way through the reactor. He walks into one room, and...] Vincent: Yuffie. [Yuffie jumps down from above] Yuffie: You don't look too roughed up. Vincent: Neither do you. [They both look ahead] Yuffie: In there, huh? Vincent: Yeah. Come on. [Vincent leads the way; Yuffie follows. They arrive at the centre of the reactor, and they both gasp] Vincent: This is Weiss? [Weiss is sitting on a throne amidst a sea of energy. He's slouched over] Yuffie: It's--he's--it's dead? Nero: But not for long. [Nero approaches them from the rear] Yuffie: Not for long? Nero: A new life breathes inside him. Just as one does in you, Valentine. [Yuffie goes "Huh?"; Vincent looks at Weiss, then back at Nero] Vincent: That's what you're doing. Yuffie: What's he doing? What's he doing? What's going on? I don't get it. Nero: Soon, my dear brother will awaken. Nero: It seems like an eternity since I was granted the knowledge of rebirth. Vincent: Granted? Yuffie: By who? [Nero looks straight ahead; the ground begins to shake, as the energy around Weiss becomes brighter, more intense] [We see that, outside the reactor, the pool of mako energy is also becoming brighter. Back inside with the trio...] Vincent: What!? Yuffie: Omega!? [Yuffie raises her shuriken, and Vincent his gun, both aiming at Weiss... and turning their backs to Nero] Nero: Stay away from my brother! [Fires a beam of darkness that envelops the duo. Yuffie floats around in it for a moment, then grabs her head and screams.] Yuffie: No! [A light shines in the darkness, and out comes Vincent! He grabs her, and jumps out of the darkness, back into the reactor - the room before the one where they encountered Weiss] Vincent: You alright? Yuffie: What the heck was that? [The darkness vanishes, and Nero is standing there] Nero: Oblivion perhaps. My darkness-- it can absorb as well as extract almost anything. Nero: However, some things remain--things as black as the heart of a daemon. Nero: The essence of death. Its ululations are like a lullaby. Yuffie: How can you... [Vincent turns around to face Nero] Vincent: Yuffie, stay here. Nero: Ah yes, you were invulnerable to the darkness. [Nero stretches out his arms; the entire room plunges into darkness] Nero: No one will take my brother away from me again. [Vincent is transported to some bizarre realm, for a boss battle vs. Arachnero (Nero's adopted the form of a spider, kind of.) At the end of the battle, he plunges into a swirling lava pit below... a stream of darkness shoots out, and Nero is back in his regular human form. Boss battle vs. Gorgonero; he gets defeated again] [We're back in the room in the reactor. Nero clutches his stomach with one hand, and stumbles down the hallway to the room with Weiss] Nero: Weiss. [Vincent follows him down the hallway; upon re-entering the room Weiss was in, he is now standing!] Nero: Weiss. My beloved brother. It is time. [Weiss stands around for a moment, then laughs heartily] Nero: Together at last. I won't leave you again. Never... Weiss... [Weiss looks at him, and then jabs his hand through Nero's stomach!] Nero: Weiss? Weiss: I'm finished with you. [Weiss launches him across the room; he lands near where Vincent's standing; Weiss laughs again, and jumps forward; Vincent begins firing at him, but they bounce right off Weiss' body] Weiss: Your weapons are useless. Weiss: My body is one with Omega. Just as yours is with Chaos. Weiss: The difference being, Chaos is nothing more than a pawn whereas Omega is the ultimate Weapon that will lead this planet's soul to the stars. Weiss: There is nothing that can destroy me. Nothing. [He laughs... not as much as before though] Weiss: Vincent Valentine. And so we meet again. Vincent: What? Weiss: Still in the dark? Weiss: Three years ago, while I was still running about looking for Sephiroth, I took it upon myself to distribute my data-- [points to his head] my mind, my knowledge, my inner being, across the worldwide network. Weiss: And even though my body had died, and the world had been left in ruin, I survived in a virtual reality. Weiss: When the network was restored, the scattered data regrouped and I was reborn. A neo-Reunion, you could say. Vincent: You... [Weiss laughs, but his voice begins to morph to someone else's entirely] Weiss: That's right, boy. It's me. Weiss: Hojo! [An image of Hojo appears beside Weiss, moving as he does. We hear Weiss and Hojo speaking in unison] Weiss: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Let us do this right. Weiss: Hello, Vincent. How long has it been? Three years? Hojo: You know, when I first read it, I thought that woman's thesis was utter nonsense. Hojo: I couldn't believe some fabled beast from legend past had anything to do with your survival. Hojo: However, three years ago when you transformed into Chaos right before my eyes, I must say I was shocked. Hojo: Who would have thought her theory was actually valid? Hojo: And so I began thinking. If Chaos exists, then so too must Omega. Hojo: And if you could become one, then maybe I could become the other to traverse the cosmos in a blaze of glory! Hojo: It was the chance of a lifetime. Hojo: But there was a problem. Only a strong shell could hold back Omega's might. And it could not be just anyone. Hojo: You see boy, the reason you were able to play such a perfect host for Chaos was because my experiments had endowed you with a nearly indestructible body. Thanks to me, you are standing here today. [Hojo laughs] Hojo: Now, where was I? Hojo: I attempted to perfect my body for Omega by injecting myself with Jenova's cells. However, that didn't go as I had planned. Hojo: I failed to consider the fact that the cells might try to take over my mind and eat away at my soul. Hojo: And so, as a safety measure, I came up with a brilliant plan to transmit my neurodata across the worldwide network. Hojo: However, after completing this, I realized I still required a durable body. And that's when I remembered Deepground--home to the most powerful beings on this planet. Hojo: I even found a willing assistant in the lad Nero here to help carry out my so-called rebirth. [We see Nero's lying on the ground, dead] Hojo: Though never did he expect I would take control of his "beloved" brother's mind. [Hojo superimposes his image onto Weiss' body, and laughs once more] Hojo: And thus, with a new body, I began my final experiment. Hojo: If the Chaos within you was born of a tainted Lifestream, then the almighty Omega would be born of a pure one. [The camera cuts out to the pool of mako below the reactor] Hojo: So I had my minions gather up the "uncontaminated" to create a stream of refined mako, thus awakening Omega inside me. Hojo: Genius, I tell you. Pure genius. Pure genius. [Back inside the reactor] Hojo: Only a scientist of my caliber is worthy to become one with Omega and leave this planet for the stars! Vincent: Hojo, I've heard enough. [Vincent points his gun at him and fires; the image of Hojo disappears; we see 3 bullets fired from Cerberus approaching Weiss; he pulls out his two swords which had been strapped to his back, and deflects them away. Vincent continues to fire and Weiss deflects some more. When Vincent goes to reload his gun, Weiss lowers one sword - there's a gun barrel on the inside edge of the sword, which he fires a bullet at Vincent, who dodges out of the way. Eventually he gets close enough to Vincent and kicks him down] Hojo: You're getting old, Vincent Valentine. [Hojo/Weiss laugh] Hojo: You just can't leave me alone, can you? Now, sit right there. I want you to see this. [Weiss turns around] Weiss: And once I have absorbed the Lifestream... [The mako energy glows] Vincent: Wait. [Vincent stands up] Vincent: This isn't over. Hojo: So eager to die, are we? Hojo: Very well. I wanted to test out this body before I began my journey, anyway. [Boss battle vs. Weiss the Immaculate. Unlike all the bosses before this, Vincent gets his ASS KICKED. We next see Weiss standing over Vincent's body] Weiss: That wasn't much of a test. [Vincent begins to glow] Weiss: Chaos. [Vincent jumps forward; Weiss easily punches him & sends him flying back] Weiss: You already tried that, Vincent. [Camera cuts to Shelke inside her regenerative tube] Shelke: Vincent. [Back in the reactor, Vincent is on the ground, glowing sporadically. He stands up. Vincent and Weiss look at him; an image of Lucrecia also appears near Vincent; Shelke speaks through her, but we also hear Lucrecia's voice overlapping] Shelke: Vincent. You cannot defeat this enemy by simply trying to overpower him. Take control. Don't let Chaos rule you. Shelke: You must rule Chaos. Shelke: You can do it! Hojo: Enough of this charade! Shelke: Please, Vincent. [She disappears] Hojo: It looks like our Dr. Crescent has a friend. Hojo: But she won't help you now, Vincent Valentine. [Weiss fires an energy beam at Vincent; he deflects it with his hand, and begins to glow red. Hojo is shocked] Hojo: Why you! [A demi-sphere of energy appears around Vincent and Weiss/Hojo] Hojo: Utilizing the Protomateria to draw forth Chaos while maintaining your human form!? [Weiss runs forward, the barrier is gone] Weiss: Interesting. Let's see what you are capable of. [Weiss attempts to slash & stab Vincent repeatedly, who gracefully dodges all his blows, while continuing to glow red. Eventually Vincent jumps backwards] Weiss: But even with the power of Chaos, you won't be able to stop me--stop Omega. Vincent: Hojo. [Hojo goes "Huh?"] Vincent: I said I've heard enough. Hojo: What!? Vincent: It's time to end this. Right here. Right now. Hojo: You insignificant fool! [Boss battle vs. Weiss Empowered. This time it's for real - and this time, Vincent wins. Weiss is sent flying into a wall. Weiss is either unconscious or dead; Hojo's image appears] Hojo: Why!? Why is Omega's power fading? Why? Voice: Weiss. Hojo: What is going on? [Nero ascends from a hole of darkness in the ground. He's got more darkness floating around him than before] Nero: Weiss. Hojo: Impossible! [We're shown a clip of Weiss/Hojo killing Nero - or so we thought] Hojo: Get out of me! Hojo: Omega's host must be pure! Hojo: Why do you think I had you create mako untainted by Jenova!? Hojo: If a filthy being like you infected it... Nero: Silence. Hojo: What? Nero: Silence! I'm speaking with my brother. Hojo: You're what? Nero: Dear Weiss... Weiss: Nero. Hojo: No! [Nero crouches, and puts his hands on Weiss' shoulders] Nero: Let us become one. Let us come together, so that none may ever tear us apart. [Nero hugs him] Weiss: Yes. Let us... Let us go join him. Nero: Weiss... [Nero begins to disappear] Weiss: Nero... Hojo: No! Stop it! You can't! This is my body now! [Hojo disappears; Weiss stands up and begins to walk towards his throne] Hojo: No! [Vincent is just standing around] Girl: Vincent! [He turns around, in runs Yuffie] Yuffie: We did it! [The mako energy surrounding Weiss' altar blasts up; a stray blast heads towards Yuffie and Vincent; he pushes her out of the way, and it hits him] Yuffie: Vincent! [FMV: Outside Midgar, the war has lessened. Suddenly, the mako reactors spring to life. Far above Shinra Tower, three strands of mako energy coalesce, forming a large green ball. Eight smaller energy tentacles eject themselves from the ball, stabbing into the eight reactors. An object begins to form and take shape... it's Omega! The strands of energy are still attached to him. Inside his body, Vincent transforms to Chaos, and breaks through Omega,flying high into the air. He dives down to attack him, but is prevented from doing so by some sort of invisible energy forcefield] [Shelke is outside of her tube in the depths of the Deepground complex] Shelke: Omega has awoken. Shelke: And Chaos has been drawn out of the shadows to serve as a counterbalance. Or so it would seem. Shelke: However... [Shelke walks over to a chair and sits in it. A machine above her moves into place] Shelke: In theory, the souls that exist inside Omega should act as a type of virtual network. It wouldn't be impossible, but maybe I could... Shelke: Vincent, be grateful that I not only uploaded Lucrecia's thoughts, but her wishes and dreams as well. [Her eyes shines orange] Shelke: Uplink successful. Now commencing SND. [FMV: An image of Shelke appears in the air above Midgar, and dives into Omega. Strands of black energy hold her in place; she reaches forward] Shelke: Just a little more... [She stops struggling. In front of her is a woman robed in white; the bright glow prevents us from seeing who it is. The strands of black energy disappear] Girl: Here...[is holding a materia] [Back outside Omega now; a ball of energy bursts forth from the top of Omega's head. Black strands of energy reach it and attempt to hold it, but it breaks free. At the centre of the energy ball, we see Shelke; the energy reaches & goes through Chaos; except for Shelke, who pushes the materia into Chaos' chest] Girl: Take this... Girl: Vincent. [He sees her; Shelke now has the appearance of Lucrecia, looking absolutely stunning & robed in white; the black strand from Omega grabs her and pulls her back in, and the top of his head reforms itself. Chaos lets out a mighty roar] [Flashback. Vincent, as a Turk, is in the regenerative tube in Shinra Manor] Lucrecia: No. It's still not enough. I have to hurry or the tissue will continue to decay. [Scene change; Hojo is now in the room] Hojo: I see. Another experiment? Hojo: You're using this fine specimen to... Lucrecia: No! Lucrecia: You're wrong! You're wrong! You're wrong! Lucrecia: I...! Lucrecia: Experiment? [Random words appear quickly on a black screen. The last phrase shown is "Never Again."] [Another scene change. Hojo is standing over Vincent's body, holding a gun in his hand; Lucrecia walks into the room with her hand on her stomach. Hojo continues to laugh maniacally] Lucrecia: Hojo. What have you...? Vincent: Lucrecia. [He looks at Lucrecia; she puts her hands over her mouth. The screen goes black] Lucrecia: You had his eyes. Lucrecia: I didn't... Lucrecia: I didn't want to remember. Lucrecia: I pushed you away, but... Lucrecia: Now I realize... I never wanted to lose you. [Lucrecia in on her knees, tears dripping from her eyes] Lucrecia: Not again. Lucrecia: Not today. [She manages to stand up, and looks at Vincent inside the regenerative tube] Lucrecia: Vincent, did you know that your eyes are exactly like your father's? [Screen fades to black] Lucrecia: I've done it. Lucrecia: Born of the Lifestream. Bringing all together. Stopping the imminent decay of tissue. Lucrecia: But instead... [Shot of Chaos raging inside the tube] Lucrecia: born was... the chaos that took him... away from me. [Chaos is slamming against the tube. Lucrecia is scared] Lucrecia: Stop... Lucrecia: Stop! [A bright light shines from the ground. She looks at Chaos, then the ground: a materia is lying there, glowing. Screen fades to black] Lucrecia: This... The materia... Lucrecia: I found... We found together. [Lucrecia is shown furiously typing at her computer. The screen flashes red once, then again a few moments later] Lucrecia: No! [She turns around; only Vincent's there. She falls to her knees] Lucrecia: What am I doing? [We see the following scene from Vincent's viewpoint, inside his tube. Lucrecia is grabbing Hojo by his shoulders and shaking him] Lucrecia: Give him back! Lucrecia: Give my son back! [She backs away] Hojo: And how is your experiment proceeding? Lucrecia: I don't know! I don't care! [She cries, screen fades to black] Lucrecia: Let me see him! Just once! [Brief pause, and then...] Lucrecia: I'm so sorry. Lucrecia: I can't... [We now see Lucrecia is sitting on the ground, back against a console outside of Vincent's tube] Lucrecia: I'm sorry. Lucrecia: I can't take it anymore. Lucrecia: My body... My mind... [Screen fades to black] Lucrecia: Before I go... [The following phrases flash on screen, one at a time] Lucrecia: Jenova's cells... Vincent... Stored as data... Must leave... Thought... I loved... Record.. Memory copy... For him... It was wrong... Wait... Disperse... ...so sorry... Apply... ...but I... For... Fragment... Survive... Hope... who...? [Scene changes back to the Manor; Vincent is all alone in his tube; a door behind him opens, but we don't see who stepped out (or in)] [Back to the present; Shelke is standing around in a room in the Deepground complex. This is still a flashback, as Nero is in front of her] Shelke: Who is she? Nero: Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. Shelke: So I am to collect the data files-- the fragments she left within the network? Nero: Correct. Then you are to use that data to find the Protomateria. Nero: That is where he requires your assistance. Shelke: He...? [Screen fades to black] Shelke: That information is unnecessary. Shelke: Connect with her, Vincent. Connect with her heart. [Dream/hallucination time: Vincent is sitting in her cave. An image of her descends and approaches him] Lucrecia: Hello Vincent. Lucrecia: Something's wrong... Lucrecia: You see, this is me, but only in a sense. Lucrecia: It is merely a reflection created with my remaining data. Lucrecia: The real me crumbled away long ago. Lucrecia: Vincent. Do you remember our place? Under that tree? [Scene changes; they're under the tree. Vincent's sitting in the same position as he was in the cave] Lucrecia: The warm breeze on our skin... Lucrecia: I know that it no longer exists. Lucrecia: Things fade with time, as do many things in this world. Lucrecia: But there are some things that we cannot let disappear. [She turns and faces him] Lucrecia: I finally... Lucrecia: I finally realized my true feelings. Lucrecia: Even if you may never understand them. [Vincent continues to sit there, looking down. He's been pretty much motionless the entire time. Lucrecia smiles and turns back around] Lucrecia: Not that I mind, though. Lucrecia: But... Lucrecia: This isn't how it was supposed to be. Lucrecia: I've made too many mistakes. Lucrecia: And I've hurt you so, so much. Lucrecia: Why did I do what I did? Lucrecia: I'm so sorry. [Screen fades to black] Lucrecia: But I'm so happy you survived. [Fade back in on the tree; Vincent is now standing up] Vincent: Lucrecia!!! [He closes his eyes. When he reopens them, he's flying in the air as Chaos; he dives to the ground. In the next scene, we see he's holding Shelke in his arms; apparently he went underground, got her, and brought her back to the surface. While he appears to be Chaos, he speaks like Vincent, though his voice is slightly distorted] Shelke: You're late. Vincent: Sorry about that. [An image of Lucrecia appears above Shelke] Shelke: Not that I mind, though. Vincent: She... She was always like that. Vincent: Only believing what she wanted to. Shelke: So Vincent, why don't you try telling her that yourself? Vincent: Maybe I will. [He reaches out with his right arm. A gun materializes out of thin air] Vincent: But before that, I have a story to end. [He flies up] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL CHAPTER: OMEGA AND CHAOS / A FINALE CHAOTIC [Vincent/Chaos is standing on a platform, with Omega looming in the far distance. As you make your way across various platforms, Omega sends creatures to finish you off, but Chaos' Death Penalty takes them out with ease] [Eventually, we see an FMV; Omega fires off some energy in an attempt to send Vincent backwards; however, suddenly, a Mako Reactor explodes! We see Cloud took a nice swipe at it, and tumbles downward, landing on his feet. He picks up his cellphone] Cloud: Sorry about the wait. [Next, Tifa kicks a DG soldier, and picks up her phone] Tifa: Everything's clear over here! [Barret fires his gunarm into the sky] Barret: They're all yours now, Vincent! [Cid coolly lights a cigarette. He's leaning on a metal grate, as a reactor collapses in the background] Cid: All in a day's work. [Cut to Reeve, with Shelke, Yuffie & some WRO Members by his side] Reeve: Fire. [Reactor explodes, everybody cheers... but Shelke] Yuffie: Alright! Reeve: And just in time. Shelke: When did I start caring so much about what happened? [She turns around and looks up] Shelke: The rest is up to you. [Scene cuts to Vincent, still flying in the sky above Omega. The streams of energy once connected to the reactors are now loose. We cut to quick shots of Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Cid, Reeve and Yuffie, and then show all of them, shouting "Vincent!" in unison] Vincent: Guess I have no choice. Vincent: It's time... to save the world. [Vincent charges towards Omega at full power. We see his 6 teammates from FFVII once again, as they shout "Yeah!" in unison. Vincent slams into Omega's barrier and pushes his way through it, entering the giant Weapon. Vincent wrecks Omega on the inside, then ventures to its key area; a gorgeous world filled with water with clouds in the sky. Beneath the water is something, which Weiss appears to be ingrained in. Boss Battle vs. Crystal Feelers; when they get destroyed the underwater object ascends into the sky. Boss Battle vs. Omega Cocoon. Upon its defeat, the cocoon explodes] [We see an image of Weiss, sword in each hand, walking towards Vincent/Chaos. He they speeds forward, but Vincent fires a blast from the Death Penalty, sending him flying backwards... yet an instant later, we see him behind Vincent, both his swords piecing his stomach. But THEN an instant after that, we see Vincent behind Weiss, pointing the Death Penalty at him. Weiss smirks and jumps into the air, and their flashy fight continues, like something you'd see in Dragonball Z. Eventually, Weiss laughs, and we see what had been inside the cocoon. Some huge... thing. It sends forth 4 feelers, which latch onto Weiss and pull him into... it. Final Boss Battle vs. Omega Weiss. Upon its defeat, Weiss detaches and plummets. The creature dissolves into the ground] [FMV. Omega becomes crystallized, and the crystal turns to stone, yet it continues to float above Midgar. His massive wings breaks through their stone prison, flapping fervently, as he lifts into the air. Vincent keeps pace with him] Reeve: Omega's ascending! But that would mean...! [Vincent soars past Omega, turns around and faces him as he approaches. The Protomateria in his chest is glowing brighter than ever. He lets out a howl, and plummets right into him. From space, we see a tremendous explosion cover a good portion of the planet... and the screen goes white] [When it fades back in, we see the whiteness begin to subside over Midgar. Cloud and the gang look upwards, as they can see the stars. The blackness of space soon turns to green, as the lifestream energy gathered by Omega falls back to Earth, along with three globules of red energy] Yuffie: Vincent? [The credits begin to roll, as the red globules descend. We see Vincent's keychain dangling from a metal pole, perhaps implying he perished? The camera fades out on the keychain, as the credits continue to roll by. Towards the end of the credits, it fades back in on Midgar, and we see the tube Shalua is in. The glass is cracked, and her eyes remain closed... and sadly, they don't reopen] [Of course, a Final Fantasy game wouldn't be complete with additional cutscenes after the credits. We see glimpses of Midgar on a beautiful day, as birds fly by. Shelke provides some voiceovers] Shelke: Vincent... Shelke: It has been almost a week since that day. Shelke: The Lifestream has returned to the planet and has begun to flow normally once again. [We see she is sitting inside the refurbished 7th Heaven, as seen in Advent Children] Shelke: And I have started to fill the ten-year hole in my life... or at least started to try. I've learned so much in the past weeks. [She's looking at her phone, and smirks] Shelke: Now that I realize I'm not alone, I think I may be a little stronger than I was before. [On the other side of the bar, Tifa is cleaning off a table] Yuffie: Have you heard from Cloud? Tifa: He hasn't found anything. Yuffie: Ain't going to make this easy for us, is he? [Shelke looks out the window] Shelke: Vincent. Shelke: Do you remember the last words we exchanged? Shelke: Do you remember our promise? Your promise to Lucrecia? Shelke: Go. Tell her how you feel. Tell her what is truly in your heart. Shelke: I know that you probably will never see this but I have to try... I have to believe. [She places her phone down, as we see a text message is being sent. Cut to outside the Seventh Heaven, where she sits, with a yawning Red XIII by her side (yes that's the first time we've seen him in the entire game!)] Shelke: I've learned I must never give up hope. Never... [Scene changes to Lucrecia's Cave; the present this time, not a flashback, dream or hallucination. She's encased in the crystals like always; Vincent is talking to her, while sitting in the same place he always sits] Vincent: Lucrecia. Vincent: Everything's alright now. Vincent: Omega and Chaos have returned to the planet. [He stands up] Vincent: Thank you. Vincent: It was you. Vincent: You were the reason I survived. [He turns around and walks away. A single teardrop roles down her cheek. Upon exiting the cave, he sees Shelke sporting some new, non-DG clothes] Shelke: Everyone's waiting, Vincent Valentine. Shelke: [sighs] I don't know why they made me come up here and get you. [Vincent smirks. Shelke enjoys the scenery, then turns her head to face Vincent] Shelke: Not that I mind, though. [She smiles, and they both look into the sky, where the fragments of Omega remain, floating in the upper atmosphere] ["The End" appears on the screen. Is it though? If you get the three G-Reports scattered throughout the game, you're privy to the "super secret ending". Observe!] [Midgar, after the destruction of Omega. In any underneath cave, Weiss' body lies motionless on a slab of rock, his swords at his side. Suddenly, electricity fills the room... a body hovers in the air, enveloped in a ball of water. The ball glows orange; stalactites begin to fall from above. The ball explodes outwards, and the man lands. He moves towards Weiss, walking on water, momentarily standing above him before picking him up. The man is the mysterious being known as G, or Genesis. For more on G, read the G Reports!] G: It is not yet time for slumber. G: We still have much work to do... G: My brother. [Camera close-up on his face. His eyes shine blue with the power of mako; a left wing spouts out of his back. And with one mighty flap, he flies away, as his feathers slowly descend] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Me - CJayC - Square Enix, which can redeem the Compilation of FFVII with Crisis Core (hopefully!) - Ken "Kouli/Ice" Zhao, whose FAQ came in handy as I tried to nail all the Memory Capsules; and as this is the first item I've submitted to Gamefaqs, I used his guide as a reference. Thanks Ken! - sephirousy, whose guide also came in handy (and gave me additional reference on how to format this) =============================================================================== COPYRIGHT (C) 2006 by MartinFF7 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII is (c) Square-Enix All Rights Reserved