After Makouro No. 1 explodes, Cloud and Barett head back to the entrance and run into Jessi, whose legs are trapped. They free her and continue on. Eventually they meet up with the other members and everyone escapes with just seconds to spare. (or more if you hustle ) Wedge and Biggs comment on how they've exteded the sun's life, if only for a little bit. After exiting the last tunnel, Barett plans for all the members to rendezvous at the train station in Sector 8.
Cloud heads out into the city and meets up with Aeris, who's just been bumped aside by a Shinra soldier. He buys a flower for 1 giru (you don't have to) and heads into the building to the south. Written on the wall (ask the guy standing nearby) is: "Don't let Shinra cheat you! Makou energy is *not* eternal; it's the life blood of our star! And soon it'll be used up! --Avalanche" (There's something else on the wall in rather large English letters which should be familiar...) Exit that building and some soldiers will come after you. You can either fight ('yatte yaru!') or run away ('mendokusai kara nigeru')... but after a while they'll surround you and you'll have no choice but to jump onto a passing train!
Luckily this train just happens to be the one (isn't it nifty how games work out like this? ^^) that the Avalanche is using. Wedge wonders aloud where Cloud is and Biggs thinks the soldiers might have gotten him, but Barett knows that he'd never leave without getting his money. After some more money-related banter, Cloud bursts in through the door and Barett says he'll dock him for being late. Everyone heads for the next car, which is scheduled to arrive at Station 7 at 12:23 AM Midgar time. Cloud and Jessi look at the on-board computer map. She tells you a little about the layout of Midgar. There are 8 sectors (which have long-forgotten names) and there are other parts that you need an ID to get through. Fortunately for our heroes, they have fake IDs. The city itself lies 50 meters beneath the ground, sealed by plates.
Cloud and Barett philosophize about Midgar and its people and after a while the train reaches Slum 7 and you get to wander around. Go north to the save point and have a look at the huge Makouro No. 7 tower. Head into town and talk to Barett. You'll meet Tifa and Marin (Barett's daughter) inside. Everyone gathers in a secret room hidden beneath the pinball machine. TIfa gets you a drink if you want one, and then it's time for a strategy session downstairs. On the TV, President Shinra is reporting on the destruction of Makouro No. 1 and urging the citizens to remain calm. Cloud tells Barett that he really doesn't care about the Avalanche and that he just wants to get his money and get out of there. As he's leaving, Tifa reminds him of a promise he made back when they were teenagers, and when Cloud left his hometown to become a soldier like Sephiros (more on him later). Tifa made him promise that if Cloud ever became famous, he'd save her if she ever got in trouble. Now, Cloud says he isn't famous or heroic or anything, and Barett climbs up and interrupts them, giving Cloud his 1500 giru. He wants 3000 for the next mission, and they settle on 2000. Barett puts Cloud in charge of the Materia and tells him that the next objective is Makouro No. 5. You can get some tips on the 2d floor of the shop; they'll teach you about all kinds of different things, and you'll pck up some Materia as well.
Now head to the train station where the next mission begins. Barett harasses a Shinra businessman on his way to work until Tifa shows up; then he tells Cloud about the ID scanning system. It suddenly activate and you'll have to hustle through the cars to get out in time. After jumping out, head through the tunnels (the direction you want to go in is "into" the screen... 3D FF games mean new terminology. ^_^) You'll be blocked by a sensor and so you'll have to go through an underground tunnel. Head throught the ducts and meet up with Jessi and Biggs along the way. After a while, you'll see one with a red Japanese "5" on the top; go in that one (save first on the right). Head deeper into the tunnels and Cloud'll set the timer for the next bomb. (When confronted by the decision whether to enter a door or go up stairs, choose the door.) There'll be a security checkpoint where all three characters have to press a switch simultaneously; do this and head for the save point. Baddies will show up in the next room and you'll be trapped. President Shinra walks in and Cloud recognizes him; the president knows Cloud but forgets his name, saying that he can't keep track of every single soldier, except for the great Sephiros. He doesn't want to listen to Barett and sends the robot Air Buster in to crush them as his copter comes to take him away. FIght him while listening to the cool boss battle theme and try to use Limit attacks since they work well. After winning the battle, the bridge breaks and Cloud is left hanging. He begs Barett to pull him up but there's nothing Barett can do... Cloud falls into the smoke below...
Cloud wakes up in Aeris's flower garden. She reminds him about the time they met earlier (you might not remember)... Aeris hires Cloud to be her bodyguard, and soon Shinra bad guys show up, led by Leno. They threaten Aeris and she and Cloud run to the other room. Leno and his cohorts catch up to them and says something cryptic about the 'ancient seed' escaping... Aeris falls while trying to jump across a gap, and Leno goes after Aeris. They escape to the rooftop and Cloud tells Aeris that Leno et al. are Shinra soldiers who do all kinds of filthy things. The two of them walk across the rooftops and Cloud's surprised that Aeris can't keep up despite having had ambitions to be a soldier. Aeris then deduces that Cloud used to be one when she sees the look in his eyes... then they head for Aeris' house .
Aeris' mother invites you to stay for the night... but she asks Cloud to sneak out later; make sure not to run or Aeris will hear you. But Aeris is waiting for you as you head towards the gate to the west, and she insists on coming along. Thw two of you arrive at an onld park that Aeris used to play in. Cloud and Aeris sit and talk and Cloud reveals that he was a first class soldier. Aeris says that the first guy she ever liked was 1st Class too, but she won't reveal his name. Suddenly Tifa rides by on a chocobo-drawn cart.
...
Aeris hears gunfire at the top of the tower and suddenly a man falls from the top. Cloud recognized him as Wedge and Wedge is surprised that Cloud remembers. Wedge tells Cloud that Barett's at the top, fighting, and asks if Cloud and the others would go up to help. Aeris takes care of Wedge and Tifa asks all the bystanders to head to Sector 7 where it's safe.
Cloud and Tifa are attacked by flying soldiers as they ascend the tower, and they eventually reach Jessi, who's injured, and Barett at the top. A Shinra helicopter comes by and Leno pops out and presses a switch on the control panel at the top of the tower; our heroes try to stop him and it's fight time again. After a while Leno runs away, and Tifa and Cloud try to defuse the bomb. Cloud realized that it's notjust an ordinary time bomb and Tsung, another Shinra leader, shows up in his helicopter and taunts you a little. Barett shoots back and Tsung alerts him to the fact that he might hit Aeris, who's being held captive in the copter. Aeris tells Tifa that Marin's OK and Tsung slaps her... and then the pilllar starts to fall and our heroes do a Tarzan-like swing from a wire to get away. The rest of Sector 7 is not so lucky, however, as pieces of flaming wreckage fall from the tower...
Barett curses fate for taking Marin from him; Tifa assures him that Marin's OK but Barett still fears for his fellow Avalanche members. Cloud goes off to find Aeris and the Ancient Seed that Tsung was talking about and the other two join him. They meet with Ermina at Aeris' house and she tells them about how her husband went off to fight in the war in Utai 15 years ago. She would go to the train station to see if he'd returned, but he never did make it back. Ermina ended up adopting Aeris and they lived happily together until Tsung showed up at their house asking for Aeris and saying that her blood was special in that it had the "Ancient Seed" in it, and that Aeris was going to lead them to the promised land of paradise... so that's why the Shinra Company's been chasing after her.
Tifa suggests the Wall Market as a place to go for information and they head there. Somebody suggests checking out the new weapons, and after buying them, they spot some kids heading over to the northeast part of town where there are some wires... climb up these wires to proceed. (The words "No Mercy" and a picture of a chocobo are clearly visible on the wall in the background. ^^) I hope you bought batteries at the weapon shop, because you'll need them to turn the propeller on and move the barrier. After reaching the top, you'll see the enormous Shinra Building.
Cloud's never been here before, but Barett has. You've got the option of either going in directly or sneaking in through the back entrance. If you sneak in through the back, you'll have to walk up 59 flights of stairs, with Barett complaining for most of the journey. ^_^ There's an Elixir along the way; don't miss it. When you finally arrive you'll have to dispose of three red guards to get Guard Key 60, which lets you stop the elevator on the 60th floor.
65F:
66F: Stand on the toilet and sneak through the duct in order to spy on the conference in the middle room. You'll hear about how President Shinra has no plans to rebuild Sector 7 despite the destruction... he'd rather focus on building Neo-Midgar. Lieb asks if the Ancient Seed has anything to do with that... and they plan to increase Makou fees by 15%. The President lets Lieb and Scarlett be in charge of that; Palmer voices his approval. Our heroes look on as Hojo walks in and they discuss some more plans. The conference ends and the party heads up the stairs to 67F. Hojo passes by and later we see him performing some kind of experiment on a dog. Also, there's a weird multi-eye thing that emits a high-frequency whine that sends Cloud to the ground. After looking at that, go north and get in the little elevator. You'll find Aeris on the next floor inside a glass cage like the one the dog was in. Barett shoots at the glass in an attempt to free her and the dog jumps out It turns out that the dog, named Red XIII, can talk, and he joins you in fighting the robots that then attack you. (This fight is the first in the game that wasn't a walkover for me, though I wasted turns using Red's "Miyaburu", which is like FF2's Peep or FF3's Scan... but beter since the HP totals stay on the screen after you see them.)
Tifa asks Aeris if there really is a 'Promised Land' and Aeris says that she doesn't know. She only knows that the Setora people supposedly are born from the stars, speak to the stars, and listen to the stars. Tifa wonders what exactly it is that stars "say"... Aeris could only hear them when in the church in the slum; she heard her real mother saying that she had to leave Midgar. She thought she wouldn't ear them when she grew up, but... Cloud talks with Barett and Red XIII and they sleep for a while.
Upon awakening, they find the guard lying on the ground... whoever or whatever got him couldn't be human. At the sample chamber Red XIII explains that it was the freakish eyeball thing that you saw earlier. It's escaped and gotten many of the guards... our party follows the trail of blood (yes, that's what thore red marks are) to find President Shinra dead on the 70th floor... with Sephiros' sword in his back! So Sephiros is indeed alive... Barett rejoices at the end of the Shinra as Palmer comes running in begging that his life be spared. He insists that he saw Sephiros with his own eyes, and that Sephiros said that he'd never turn over the Promised Land... Aeris and Barett think Sephiros must be good since he's protecting the Promised Land but Cloud insists that there's more to it than that. Vice-Prsident Rufus, son of the deceased leader, shows up inhis helicopter and our heroes head out to the balcony to meet with Rufus and Palmer. Cloud and company explain who they are and Rufus announces that he's taking over Shinra. Rufus describes how his father ruled with money and says that he'll do things differently... he'll rule using fear, knowing that it isn't worth it to waste money on the stupid masses...
Cloud stays behind as Aeris, Barret, and Red XIII make their way to the elevator. Tifa decides to wait for Cloud while the group of three fights the Hundred Gunner and Heligunner on the elevator; make sure not to select 'Fight' since you can't actually reach the enemy (it's on the pther elevator)... try to use magic. Barett can fight since his gun can shoot across. Beat them and do Cloud's fight too. Watch out for Rufus's Barrier; after he uses that, make sure to use magic. The dog Dark Nation can be disposed of easily with physical attacks. After defeating them, your party grabs a motorcycle and truck and after a nifty CG scene, you get to race down the highway fending off enemies on your motorcycle!
