Sector 7 - Fall of the Pillar

Conflicts at Shinra HQ

Arrival at the Pillar

After the Pillar's Collapse

---

At Shinra Headquarters, Reeve is standing before President Shinra's desk on the 70th floor. Heidegger walks up to join them.

President Shinra
How are the preparations going?

Heidegger
Ha, ha, ha!! Smoothly, very smoothly! I assigned the Turks to this.

Reeve
President!! Are we really going to do this? Simply destroy a group with only a few members...

President Shinra
What's the problem, Reeve? You want out?

Reeve
...No.
But, as head of the Urban Development Department, I have been involved in the building and running of Midgar. That's why...

Heidegger
Reeve, you should flush those personal problems in the morning!

Reeve
The Mayor's against this anyway...

Heidegger
Mayor?
He just sits in this building all day feeding his face! You still call that a Mayor?
Now if you'll excuse me sir!

Heidegger salutes and walks out. Reeve takes a few steps after him, but doesn't follow.

President Shinra
You're tired. Why don't you take a couple of days off and go somewhere.

Reeve looks at him, and then walks off.

President Shinra
We'll destroy Sector 7 and report that AVALANCHE did it. Then we'll send in the rescue operation care of Shinra, Inc....
Heh, heh, heh... this is perfect.

---

Having fallen through Don Corneo's trap door, Cloud, Aeris, and Tifa land in the sewers beneath Sector 6. Cloud goes to each of his companions in turn.

Cloud
You alright?

Aeris
Yeah.

Cloud
You alright?

Tifa
Man! This is terrible.

Aeris
Well, the worst is over...

There is a low growling noise.

Aeris
Maybe not...

The Don's pet monster, Aps, attacks them, but they fight and defeat it.

Tifa
It's too late...... Marlene... Barret... the people of the Slums.

Aeris
Don't give up, never give up hope. It's not easy to destroy the pillar, right?

Tifa
.........Yeah...... you're right! We still have time.

They make their way through the sewers, climbing out to find themselves in Sector 7's Train Graveyard.

Cloud
Aeris. I got you mixed up in all of this...

Aeris
Don't tell me to go home.

Tifa
Let's see... If we can just get past the trains that are lit up, we should be able to get out of here.

Winding their way through the abandoned trains, they make it to the all-but-deserted train station.

Station man
I heard a rumor that the plate was going to fall, crushing this station, I've worked at so many years.
But I just can't bear to leave here.

They run on past the station to the gated base of the pillar. A small crowd is gathered by the fence, and gunfire sounds from the staircase adjacent to the pillar.

Tifa
We made it! The pillar's standing!

Cloud
Wait! You hear something...... above us?

Aeris
......gun fire?

The camera pans up the length of the pillar to where Barret is fighting at the very top of the stairs. Wedge is with him, but he falls from the platform to land near Cloud and the others. Everyone runs over.

Cloud
Wedge!! You all right!?

Wedge
......Cloud...... You remembered...... my name.
Barret's up top. ...help him......
An' Cloud... Sorry, I wasn't any help.

Cloud shakes his head and stands.

Cloud
I'm going up!
Aeris! You look after Wedge.

Tifa
Aeris, do me a favor.
I have a bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighborhood.
There's a little girl named Marlene there......

Aeris
Don't worry. I'll put her somewhere safe.

Tifa turns to the crowd.

Tifa
It's dangerous here!
Everyone get away from the pillar, quickly!
Everyone get out of Sector 7!

Everyone disperses but no one leaves the area.

Aeris (crouching next to Wedge)
Don't worry. You let me handle this.

Soldier 2
L, look... This is my job, so I have to be here until the absolute last minute.

Redhead
Umm... I just LOVE men with a sense of duty. Let me stay here with you.

Shopkeeper
Uh oh...... There goes the pillar.
I'm scared, but it's for your own good.
If things get too hairy, we'll escape. It's not something you'll see happen too often.

Man by Fence
Uhh...... Help! My strange and wonderful little place.

Soldier 1
Doh! And this was supposed to be my last job! Do something!!
I never thought this would ever happen to me! Great... I'm quitting tomorrow!

If Cloud tries to leave the area...

Tifa
Cloud!! You've gotta go now, or Barret's...

Cloud and Tifa climb the staircase, running into Biggs and Jessie, both wounded, along the way.

Biggs
Cloud... so you don't care... what happens... to the... Planet?

Cloud
- Nope, not interested
- You're wounded......

Jessie
...Cloud... I'm glad...... I could talk with you... one last time.

Cloud
- Don't say 'last'......
- Is that so...

Cloud and Tifa reach the top of the pillar to join Barret.

Barret
Tifa! Cloud! You came!
Be careful! They're attacking from the helicopter.

Tifa
Better equip ourselves before they attack in full force!
Here they come!

The helicopter passes overhead, and Barret fires at it. Reno jumps down and runs over to the control panel.

Reno
You're too late. Once I push this button...

He pushes it.

That's all, folks! Mission accomplished.

Tifa
We have to disarm it! Cloud! Barret! Please!

Reno
I can't have you do that. No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks...

They enter a battle with Reno, who casts his Pyramid spell on someone.

Reno
Try and break it if you can.

The fight continues until Reno checks his watch.

Reno
It's time.

Reno runs past Tifa and jumps from the platform. Tifa runs to the controls.

Tifa
Cloud! I don't know how to stop this. Try it!

Barret
DAMN! It's a time bomb!

Cloud
...It's not a normal time bomb.

The helicopter rises up from below with Tseng of the Turks on its side rig and Aeris behind him.

Tseng
That's right. You'll have a hard time disarming that one.
It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it.

Tifa
Please, stop it!

Tseng
Ha ha ha......
Only a Shinra Executive can set up or disarm the Emergency Plate Release System.

Barret
Shut yer hole!

He fires at Tseng, who remains unfazed.

Tseng
I wouldn't try that...... You just might make me injure our special guest.

Aeris lifts her head, and Barret lowers his gun arm.

Tifa
Aeris!!

Tseng
Oh, you know each other?
How nice you could see each other one last time. You should thank me.

Cloud
What are you gonna do with Aeris!?

Tseng
I haven't decided.
Our orders were to find and catch the last remaining Ancient.
It's taken us a long time, but now I can finally report this to the President.

Aeris (leaning forward)
Tifa, don't worry! She's all right!

Tseng turns and slaps Aeris, and she falls back.

Tifa
Aeris!

Aeris
Hurry and get out!

Tseng
Ha, ha, ha... Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you can escape in time?

The helicopter flies off just as the first explosions go off and the pillar starts to come apart.

Tifa
Once that Plate starts coming down it'll be too late. We gotta hurry!

They all spend a few moments frantically looking for an escape route, and then Barret jumps over to a cable attached to the platform.

Barret
Yo, we can use this wire to get out!

They all climb onto the cable and swing out as the plate comes crashing down behind them. The camera pans back to show President Shinra watching its destruction from his office as he listens to opera music.

---

Cloud, Tifa, and Barret land in the Sector 6 playground, now littered with smoking debris from Sector 7. They stand and walk slowly to the gate that once led to Sector 7.

Barret
Marlene! MARLENE!!
MAR---LE---NE!!
Biggs!
Wedge!!
Jessie!!
Goddamn it!!!
Dammit!
DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!!!!
What the hell's it all for!?
ARGGHHHH!!!

Cloud
Hey, Barret!

Tifa
Barret!

Barret
ARGGHHHH!!!

Cloud and Tifa run over to him.

Cloud
Hey!

Tifa
Barret, stop... Please stop, Barret.

Barret
URGHHHH!!!

He fires several rounds at the rubble, then falls to his knees.

God damn...

Some time passes... Having settled down some, Barret is seated at the base of the slide, and Cloud and Tifa stand nearby.

Barret
Marlene...

Tifa
......... Barret......?
Marlene is... I think Marlene is safe.

Barret
......huh?

Tifa
Right before they took Aeris, she said, "Don't worry, she's all right." She was probably talking about Marlene.

Barret gets to his feet.

Barret
R, really!?

Tifa
But...

Barret
Biggs...... Wedge... Jessie......

Cloud
All three of them were in the pillar.

Barret
Think I don't know that?
But... we, all of us fought together.
I don't wanna think of them as dead!

Tifa
...and the other people in Sector 7.

Barret
This is all screwed up!
They destroyed an entire village just to get to us! They killed so many people...

Tifa
...are you saying it's our fault? Because AVALANCHE was here? Innocent people lost their lives because of us?

Barret
No, Tifa!
That ain't it! Hell no!!
It ain't us! It's the damn Shinra! It's never been nobody but the Shinra!

At this point, Cloud turns away and folds his arms pensively.

Barret
They're evil and destroyin' our planet just to...
build their power and line their own damn pockets with gold!
If we don't get rid of them, they're gonna kill this planet!
Our fight ain't never gonna be over until we get rid of them!!

Tifa
.........I don't know.

Barret
What don't you know!? You don't believe me?

Tifa
It's not that. I'm not sure about... me. My feelings.

Barret
An' what about you?

Cloud
.........

Cloud walks off towards Sector 5 without answering.

Barret
Yo!
Where's he think he's goin'?

Tifa
Oh! Aeris!

Barret
Oh yeah, that girl. What's up with her?

Tifa
...I don't really know... But she's the one I left Marlene with.

Barret
Damn! Marlene!!

Barret starts after Cloud, but stops when Tifa doesn't follow immediately.

Barret
Tifa. There ain't no turnin' back now.

He turns and runs after Cloud. Tifa follows with a glance back over her shoulder. Up ahead, Cloud is making his way through Sector 6.

Tifa
Cloud!

Cloud stops to let Tifa and Barret catch up.

Barret
Take me to Marlene!

Tifa
You're going to help Aeris?

Cloud
Yeah... But before that, there's something I want to know.

Tifa
What's that?

Cloud
...it's about the Ancients.

The screen goes black momentarily.

In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients. I am one of the rightful heirs to this planet!

Cloud
Sephiroth...?

He falls to one knee.

Tifa
Are you all right?

Barret
Pull it together, man!

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