Since FF7's storyline has become more complicated from the presence of extra games and sources, we've found the need to alter the format of the timeline a bit. Now, events take place on a timeline that is either Before Game (B.G.) or After Game (A.G.) which is technically any point in time after the game starts. So when Cloud jumps out of the train in FF7, that's when 0 B.G. ends and 0 A.G. starts. Anything labeled as "SIDE QUEST" is an optional part of the game which may or may not happen, but has no bearing on anything that is not a side quest.

Sources have also been cited in brackets at the end of each entry, so you know where the info comes from and where it was created. Here are their abbreviations.

FF7 Final Fantasy 7 (the actual game) AC Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children (the CG movie) DoC Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2 game starring Vincent) CC Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP game starring Zack) BC Final Fantasy 7: Before Crisis (Cell Phone game released only in Japan) OAWTAS:Denzel On a Way To a Smile: Case of Denzel (from the FFVII:AC prologue book) OAWTAS:Tifa On a Way To a Smile: Case of Tifa (from the FFVII:AC prologue book)

NOTE: OAWTAS:Tifa, OAWTAS:Denzel, and Before Crisis were taken from secondary sources that were unofficially translated. These lines will be in italics.

Many Years Ago:

The Cetra, a nomadic magical race which may or may not have originated on the Planet, settle after a long and arduous journey. Some Cetra (later known as Ancients) choose to continue their journey, whilst others settle down and eventually become humans. A few true Cetra still survive, however. [FF7]

The Cetra create a tablet describing the existence of Chaos and Omega and their purpose. This tablet will be discovered by Dr. Grimoire Valentine and Dr. Lucrecia Crescent, providing the spark for their experiments. [DoC]

2000 Years B.G.:

JENOVA, a malevolent creature, crash-lands on the planet and causes a huge rift, the Northern Crater. JENOVA infects the Cetra with a virus, turning them into monsters. Most of the remaining Cetra are slaughtered as the humans hide out in their new settlements, avoiding the terror. The Planet creates five Weapons to battle JENOVA, but they are never used. A small number of surviving Cetra succeed in containing her in the Northern Crater. The Planet begins to heal itself using its life energy. (It never fully heals.) [FF7]

Between 1999 - 41 B.G.:

The Shinra Electric Company emerges as the leading energy provider in the world. They use Mako energy, which is drawn from the bowels of the earth. Mako is also known as Lifestream, a spirit force which is shared by the planet and everyone living on it. Condensed Mako, known as Materia, draws a high market for its magical properties. Eventually Shinra diversifies into military, political, urban development, scientific, astronomical, and communications departments and becomes known as the 'Shinra Corporation', or simply 'Shinra'. [FF7]

The existence of Shinra gives way to Midgar, the city constructed around the central power plant. Eight Mako Reactors are placed at the edge of the circular city to provide power to the two levels: the upper plate consists of the well-to-do society, and under the plate, where the slums are.

Knowing the Mako can't last forever, Shinra begins conducting a search for the rumored 'Promised Land', a land of supreme happiness and abundant Mako. Only the Ancients know of its location, and Shinra intends to build 'Neo-Midgar' there. [Conjecture: in DoC, Dr. Valentine mentions the ancient tablet may contain info regarding 'Promised Land', so we can assume they are already looking for it at this point.]

The Turks are formed as an internal and hush-hush departement in Shinra; they carry out less desirable missions like kidnapping and assassinations. [FF7]

55 B.G.:

Vincent Valentine is born. [FF7 - Remember that Hojo's experiments on Vincent allow him to live much longer (theoretically forever). He was killed when he was 27 and stays that age perpetually.]

c. 40 B.G. :

The peaceful tribe living in Cosmo Canyon is attacked by the violent Gi tribe. Seto, a wolf-like creature, protects the Canyon by going through a secret passage, and succeeds in holding off the Gi tribe, but is pierced by their petrifying arrows and turns to stone in the end. The tribe, including Seto's son, Nanaki, believes Seto turned tail and fled. Only Seto's father-in-law, Bugenhagen, knows the truth. [FF7]

35 B.G.:

Barret Wallace is born in Corel Village. [FF7]

32 B.G.:

Cid Highwind is born. [FF7]

30 - 29 B.G.

Professor Gast, Shinra's leading scientist, heads a team including a young man named Hojo, a woman named Lucrecia into the Nibelheim Mountains. Gast excavates the body of JENOVA, whom he believes to be an Ancient, and sets up his research lab in the Shinra Mansion in the nearby town. [FF7]

Experimentation on JENOVA's cells begins immediately. In Banora, Professor Hollander injects his fellow scientist, Gillian Hewley, with JENOVA cells, as part of "Project G" (for Gillian). Her cells were then injected into an infant named Genesis Rhapsodos. Seeing no immediate changes, the experiment was labeled a failure. Gillian later bore a son to Hollander, Angeal. Unbeknownst to them, Angeal inherited a purer form of the JENOVA cells, directly from his mother. [CC - time is an estimate] .

. Some time later, Hollander loses his position as head of the Shinra Science Department and begins developing a grudge against them. [CC]

Grimoire Valentine, Vincent Valentine's father, discovers an ancient Cetran tablet describing Omega and Chaos, a partnership capable of destroying the world. He believes it may have to do with the "Promised Land" and is given permission to study it. He also takes on an assistant - Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. Together, they discover a cavern, which they reason is where Chaos will eventually awake. They also find the Protomateria there. [DoC]

During an experiment on a dark substance they they find there (later known as "G-substance"), it jumps out of the regeneration tube and attacks Dr. Valentine. He later dies of the wound and Lucrecia blames herself for it. [DoC]

Vincent Valentine joins the Turks. [DoC]

29 B.G.:

Vincent Valentine is assigned to protect Lucrecia Crescent while she is working with Dr. Hojo, a brilliant Shinra scientist. He does not know his father was working with Dr. Crescent before he died. [FF7 and DoC]

Vincent falls for Lucrecia, but he also sees that she is in love with Hojo, and resigns himself to that fate. Lucrecia also chooses Hojo and his proposed experiment on her unborn child. She does so because she feels guilty about Vincent's father. Vincent discovers this fact, and additional information about the experiment that killed him. The effects of this on their relationship are unknown, but there is strife. [FF7 and DoC]

28 B.G.:

Lucrecia's son is born and given the name Sephiroth. He is not told his true origins, however, instead being told that his mother, named Jenova, died giving birth to him. [FF7]

When Vincent discovers that Sephiroth is a result of Hojo having injected Lucrecia's yet-unborn baby with JENOVA's DNA, Vincent loses it and confronts Hojo. Hojo kills Vincent and conducts an operation on his body, reviving him and turning him into an unstable monster capable of mutating further when angered. [FF7 and DoC]

However, Vincent's body proves unstable, and Lucrecia takes it to perform further experiments on it. She injects Vincent with the Chaos gene; the process unleashes Chaos for a moment, but it is quickly subdued. She takes the Protomateria and embeds it in Vincent's body, fully reviving him but leaving him with the effects of both Hojo's experimentation (the ability to turn into monsters) and the Chaos gene. [DoC]

A short period later, Lucrecia dies, though her induction of JENOVA cells seems to have some sort of after effect. Vincent remains ignorant of her fate. In disgrace, Vincent enters a coffin in the Shinra Mansion and falls into a deep sleep. A "reflection" of Lucrecia remains inside a crystal in the Waterfall Cave.[DoC and FF7]

25-22 B.G.:

Dr. Gast also flees from Hojo and runs to Icicle Inn in the north, where he discovers a Cetra named Ifalna, who he believes is the last of her race. Hoping to get information on the Promised Land, he videotapes his interviews with her, but eventually falls in love. [FF7]

Around this time, Lazard is born as an illegitimate child to President Shinra to a woman in the slums. She apparently commits suicide soon afterwards. Lazard eventually takes a job at Shinra and rises to the post of SOLDIER Director. [CC - evidence shown in this FF7 Citadel thread]

22 B.G.:

Dr. Gast and Ifalna have a child together. They name their daughter Aerith. [FF7]

20 days after Aerith is born, Hojo storms the inn, discovers the Ancients and attempts to take them. Dr. Gast is killed trying to protect them, and Ifalna and Aerith are captured by Hojo. [FF7, Aerith's age from BC]

21 B.G.:

Cloud Strife is born in Nibelheim. [FF7]

20 B.G.:

Tifa Lockheart is born in Nibelheim. [FF7]

16 B.G.:

Yuffie Kisaragi is born in Wutai to Godo. [FF7]

c. 15 B.G.:

Shinra's military wing proceeds to declare war on Wutai, an Oriental village. Shinra is eventually victorious, and its leader Godo humbled. Eventually Wutai loses its status as an honorable and polite nation and becomes a tourist attraction. [FF7]

Ifalna somehow manages to take Aerith and escape Hojo. Gravely injured, she makes it to the Midgar Sector 7 Train Station before collapsing. A woman named Elmyra discovers them, and promises they dying mother to take care of Aerith, as her own husband had died during the Midgar-Wutai war. Ifalna gives Aerith the White Materia, a legendary stone which has the power to call Holy. Aerith grows up thinking the Materia doesn't do anything at all. [FF7]

Over time, Aerith begins to show a strange talent. She is able to sense the death of Elmyra's husband out at war with Wutai before Elmyra actually gets word of it. She also seems to be able to 'talk to the Planet'. [FF7]

Eventually she gathers the interest of the Turks, who watch her, trying to persuade her to join their ranks. Aerith takes up a job as a flower girl in the Midgar slums. Tseng is appointed (or takes upon himself) the job as her watcher. [FF7]

Cid Highwind, creator of the Tiny Bronco biplane, is given the go-ahead by Shinra to launch a space rocket from his home town. Having looked forward to this time for ages, his excitement is mounting when his assistant, Shera, discovers a malfunction in an energy tank. She refuses to leave the soon-to-be-burning-hot chamber, and Cid forces himself to shut the rocket down before it can ignite. He refuses to forgive Shera for destroying his dream, and Shera lives with him in penance from then on, acting as a servant. [FF7]

15 - 10 B.G.:

Hojo performs experiments using cells from the body of JENOVA. He infuses Shinra soldiers with JENOVA cells. The results are staggering - those who are infected have strength and skills far beyond normal persons. Based on these results, Shinra forms SOLDIER, a program designed to use and train an elite military force by infusing subjects with Mako and JENOVA cells. [FF7]

Sephiroth quickly rises in the ranks of the Shinra military, due to his being the prototype for the SOLDIER program. He is monitored continuously and shows promise far beyond anyone else. [BC and FF7: It's hard to say what Square means by prototype, as FF7 says SOLDIER was created well after Sephiroth was born, and that Sephiroth was part of the JENOVA project , but BC says Sephiroth was the SOLDIER prototype. We may assume that by Prototype, they could mean role model, or the SOLDIER program was simply not officially introduced until after Sephiroth had been deemed a success.]

, but BC says Sephiroth was the SOLDIER prototype. We may assume that by Prototype, they could mean role model, or the SOLDIER program was simply not officially introduced until after Sephiroth had been deemed a success.] This is also the earliest mention of the Turks, which are technically known as the Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department in Shinra. [BC]

Cloud and Tifa grow up next to each other in the city of Nibelheim. They are not particularly friends, however much Cloud would like it to be otherwise. After the death of Tifa's mother, she runs into the Nibel Mountains. Cloud follows her, but a bridge they both stand on breaks, and Cloud is blamed for the injuries suffered by Tifa. They later have a conversation by a well where Cloud tells Tifa of his desire to go to Midgar and join SOLDIER, and promises to come back for Tifa if he should make it big in Midgar. [FF7]

Hojo brings his experiments to the Mako Reactor in Nibelheim, which involve dousing human beings in condensed Mako. Eventually the humans become completely unrecognizable monsters, but they are watched closely in sealed containers. The suspended-animation device containing JENOVA is moved there as well. [FF7]

10 B.G.:

Denzel is born to well-to-do parents in Sector 1. [OAWTAS: Denzel]

10 B.G. - 7 B.G.:

President Shinra turns a SOLDIER hospital underneath Sector 0 of Midgar into Deepground, an elite battle unit whose soldiers undergo high-level Mako conditioning. The only others who know of this top-secret project are Hojo, Heidigger, and Scarlet. [DoC]

Shelke and Shalua Rui's mother passes away. [DoC]

7 B.G.:

Cloud moves to Midgar and joins Shinra. He attempts to join SOLDIER as well, but fails to make the cut. Instead he is relegated to a small position in the Shinra military force, little more than a grunt. [FF7]

Shelke Rui is kidnapped or recruited by Deepground after they recognize her deep-diving abilities. Her sister Shalua begins her quest to find her. [DoC]

Before 5 B.G.:

The insurgent terrorist group AVALANACHE appears in opposition to Shinra's domination in military, power, and politics. This group is far more militant and organized. Its creation does not appear to have anything to do with the fall of Wutai. Shinra dispatches the Turks to deal with this threat. [BC]

Tseng, Reno, and Rude are with the Turks. [BC: This is the earliest known point in the timeline where we see Tseng, Reno, and Rude as Turks]

Reeve Tuesti, the current Minister of Housing and Urban Development for Midgar, creates a prototype Cait Sith, which assists one of the Turks on a mission. [BC]

At some point, Heidegger briefly takes command of the Turks, pushing them towards a more strong-arm tactics. Verdot negotiates control back from him though. [BC]

Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley both join SOLDIER and rise to SOLDIER 1st Class. They remain fast friends, and also make friends with Sephiroth. [CC]

Zack joins SOLDIER and rises to the ranks of SOLDIER 2nd Class. He becomes friendly with Kunsel, another 2nd Class SOLDIER. [CC]

Cloud fails to make the cut into SOLDIER, becoming a military grunt. [CC]

Genesis is wounded slightly in a duel with Sephiroth, but the wound does not heal. Hollander treats him, and decides he needs an infusion of blood from another "G Type SOLDIER", meaning only Angeal. It becomes clear that Genesis is slowly deteriorating. [CC]

Lazard begins acting on his grudge against Shinra. Having discovered Hollander's rebellious tendencies, he begins funding him to continue his experiments. [CC - timing is a guess; it may be slightly later that Lazard begins the funding]

Exploring Genesis's powers further, Hollander discovers that Genesis can create copies of himself. He also begins exhibiting physical mutation, in the form of a black wing. Believing himself to be a monster, Genesis defects from Shinra while on a mission in Wutai, taking many 1st and 2nd class SOLDIERs with him, creates an army of clones with Hollander's aid, and begins mounting terrorist campaigns against Shinra. [CC]

5 B.G. (events of CC):

Zack and Angeal train together. Zack's sword is broken by a VR Sephiroth, but is saved by Angeal before he comes to harm. [CC]

Zack is summoned to SOLDIER Director Lazard's office and asked to investigate Genesis's disappearance in Wutai. Lazard says he will come along as well. Sephiroth is sent to the same place in a separate but parallel mission to finish the Wutai war. [CC]

Zack beats off Wutai troops, but is attacked by Genesis copies. Angeal stays to fight them while Zack takes Lazard to safety. When Zack comes back, the copies are dead and Zack is attacked by an Ifrit summon. Sephiroth arrives to save him. Apparently at this point, Genesis meets Angeal and convinces him to join him. [CC]

Genesis travels to Banora with his army, apparently to exact revenge on his parents, who he possibly believes are not his real parents, and accuses them of "betraying" him. He slaughters his parents as well as many other townspeople. [CC]

Rufus Shinra is appointed Vice President of Shinra. [CC - mail]

One month passes. Angeal arrives in Banora, meets his mother, leaves his Buster Sword with her and leaves the town. [CC]

Searching for Genesis, Lazard asks Sephiroth to investigate Banora. Sephiroth refuses, not wanting to fight his friends, so Lazard instead asks Zack and Tseng to go. They are attacked by Genesis clones while searching. Zack finds Gillian in Angeal's house. Tseng tells him that the Genesis copies have their headquarters in a factory on the outskirts of town, so Zack infiltrates it. He finds Genesis and Angeal there; Angeal follows Genesis and escapes. [CC]

Tseng informs Zack that Shinra has ordered an airstrike to obliterate Banora. Zack rushes to Angeal's house to attempt to rescue Gillian, to find her already dead with Angeal and Genesis next to her. Though Zack thinks Angeal killed her (and Angeal makes no attempt to dissuade him of the idea), in truth she committed suicide. Genesis summons Bahamut to attack Zack, and flies away on his one wing. Tseng rescues Zack with a helicopter, and Banora is destroyed by the Shinra air attack. [CC]

Shinra declares an end of the war with Wutai. Sephiroth is credited with achieving this goal and is lauded as a hero. [CC - mail]

Hollander begins experimenting with Angeal, realizing that his cells can be infused into monsters. They begin creating "Angeal copies". [CC]

Lazard calls Zack into his office to inform him that he's been promoted to SOLDIER 1st Class. He also asks him to go with Sephiroth to terminate Genesis and Angeal. Before he can reply, an alarm sounds - Genesis's army is attacking Shinra headquarters. Zack and Sephiroth fight the enemies inside the building and head out to Sector 8. They meet Tseng, Reno and Rude fighting off Genesis copies. Zack meets Cissnei for the first time, also part of the fight. [CC]

The Turks run off in various directions. Zack comes upon Cissnei again and rescues her from another, new type of Genesis clone, who tries to fly away with one wing (like the real Genesis). Cissnei takes her leave and Zack gets a call from Sephiroth, asking him to meet him at the Sector 5 Mako Reactor. He's been told that Angeal was sighted there, and wants to get there before the army does in order to save him. [CC]

In the reactor, they encounter monsters with Angeal's face emblazoned on it. After defeating them, they find Hollander's lab, including some information on Project G, as well as the information that Genesis and Angeal deteriorating. Hollander enters, surprised to see them. Genesis swoops in, stopping Sephiroth from continuing. Zack chases after Hollander while Sephiroth engages Genesis. Zack catches Hollander, but is stopped by Angeal, who engages him in a fight. A spell of Angeal's collapses the floor beneath Zack, and he plunges into the depths. [CC]

Zack comes to in the Church in the Sector 5 Slums; Aerith discovers him. Zack offers her one date as a reward for helping him. Aerith accompanies him on his way back to Sector 8 (Zack protects her from monsters while they go). Zack's wallet is stolen by a street kid; Aerith helps him get it back. Zack comes up with an idea to sell her flowers in a wagon. He also buys her a ribbon, which she begins wearing. They go on a date at the Sector 6 park. While there, Zack is contacted by Lazard who says that Genesis is attacking Shinra HQ again. [CC]

Zack rushes to the Shinra HQ, where he's met by Angeal, and agrees to fight with him. Angeal carries him up to Sephiroth, fighting Genesis copies. Angeal says that Hollander has ordered Genesis to kill Hojo, whom Hollander blames for taking his position in Shinra. Sephiroth goes down below, while Zack heads up to protect Hojo. Genesis confronts Zack, but Angeal then appears. Genesis escapes, but not before summoning Bahamut Fury, which Zack defeats. [CC]

Sephiroth shuts himself in the Shinra Data Room, doing research on the Science Department. Angeal has decided that Zack should kill him, so in preparation he meets Zack and tells him that Genesis and Hollander are in Modeoheim, with the intention that Zack should first defeat Genesis. Tseng and Zack travel there, along with several Shinra army grunts, one of whom turns out to be Cloud. Zack and Cloud quickly develop a friendship. [CC]

Zack infiltrates the Genesis army's base. He finds Genesis attacking Hollander; Genesis is becoming increasingly unhinged, and wants to take the world down with him. Hollander shakes him off, but is captured by Cloud. Zack and Genesis battle. Zack defeats Genesis, who falls into the abyss beneath the factory. Naturally, though, he isn't dead. [CC]

Zack goes to search for Tseng and Cloud, and finds them both hurt in a bathhouse in Modeoheim Village - Angeal's work. Zack confronts Angeal and finds Hollander goading him on. Angeal merges with several of his clones to create a giant monster. Hollander runs off and Zack defeats Angeal for good. Zack takes his Buster Sword. He later takes over Angeal's role as a mentor to SOLDIER operatives. At some point Hollander is captured and taken for interrogation in Junon. [CC]

Director Lazard disappears, joining with Hollander. At some point, he submits to an experiment. Hollander injects him with Angeal's cells, turning him into a direct copy of Angeal. Unfortunately, he begins decomposing just as Angeal did. [CC - timing is a guess]

Zack is given a well-deserved vacation in Costa del Sol. The Turks are sent to keep an eye on him as well, ostensibly on their vacation (though Tseng refuses to wear a bathing suit). The vacation is cut short when Genesis clones attack. The forces begin attacks all over Shinra's area of control, including Junon. Lazard is behind the attacks, in an attempt to free Hollander. Zack heads over there. Hollander does indeed escape. Zack chases after him, but is foiled by the Genesis copies. Sephiroth finally shows up and tells Zack that Midgar has also been infiltrated by Genesis copies, including Sector 5, and that Zack has permission to go there. [CC]

Zack finds a malfunctioning Shinra attack machine (commissioned to fight Genesis copies) threatening Aerith; however, she is saved by an Angeal copy resembling a gryphon. The gryphon looks hurt, and stays in the rafters. Zack and Aerith finally make the flower wagon they'd decided on earlier, and begin selling flowers. In a scene in the church, Aerith writes down her "23 wishes" to Zack (actually 1 wish - to be with Zack more often), and he keeps it so he'll remember them. They have a good time together, but Zack is called away on yet another mission - this time they are headed to Nibelheim, to investigate reports of monster attacks. [CC]

Cloud comes with Zack and Sephiroth to Nibelheim (suffering from motion sickness in the truck along the way).

Tifa Lockheart is assigned as their tour guide through the Nibel Mountains. She does not recognize Cloud, who is disguised under his military outfit. Someone takes a picture of them before they leave. [FF7 and CC]

NOTE: At this critical juncture, there are several inconsistencies between the original FF7 and CC. CC is essentially a retcon of the FF7 version of events. There are even more inconsistencies if taking FF7: Last Order into account. Last Order is a 30-minute anime included with Advent Children: Collector's Edition, which is not identical with either version. However, it can be assumed that Last Order is not canon, but sort of an intermediate step along the way to Crisis Core. The following are the events as they take place in FF7:

At this critical juncture, there are several inconsistencies between the original FF7 and CC. CC is essentially a retcon of the FF7 version of events. There are even more inconsistencies if taking FF7: Last Order into account. Last Order is a 30-minute anime included with Advent Children: Collector's Edition, which is not identical with either version. However, it can be assumed that Last Order is not canon, but sort of an intermediate step along the way to Crisis Core. Sephiroth finds the JENOVA and Mako-infused monsters in the reactor, as well as the chamber holding JENOVA itself. He begins to doubt his origins and who he is. He discovers a secret library in Nibelheim where he finds out the truth about himself, that he was created with JENOVA cells from before birth. Overwhelmed by the new information and the lies he was told, he goes on a rampage, beliving himself to be the 'chosen one', the one to rule the Planet, and burns Nibelheim to the ground. Zack and Cloud find that he intends on taking JENOVA, who he now considers his true mother. Tifa runs up to the mountains for revenge, followed by Zack, who is in turn followed by Cloud. [FF7]

As Sephiroth tries to open the chamber to JENOVA, Tifa takes Sephiroth's sword (which he has carelessly left on the ground) and attempts to stab him for the death of her father. Sephiroth gets the better of her and slashes her, leaving her seriously injured on the ground. He enters the inner chamber and takes JENOVA's head from its stasis container. Zack arrives to attack Sephiroth and is also stabbed and lies wounded. Cloud eventually comes, finds Tifa lying bleeding on the ground. Overcome by emotion, he takes Zack's sword, and attacks Sephiroth. Sephiroth easily dispatches him, and runs him through the gut with his masamune. Cloud is seriously injured, but in a haze of emotion, somehow manages to grasp the sword by the blade and reverse the hold, throwing Sephiroth into the Lifestream beneath him. [FF7]

Events as they occur in CC:

Sephiroth discovers JENOVA and the Mako-infused monsters in the reactor. He begins to doubt his origins and who he is. Suddenly Genesis appears and knocks Zack out. He is the one who informs Sephiroth of Jenova's true nature - the Calamity from the Skies. Genesis tells Sephiroth he needs his help - Sephiroth's cells, are the "perfect" result of the Jenova Project. Unlike Genesis, who received Gillian's cells, Sephiroth received Jenova cells directly. Genesis believes that if he was infused with Sephiroth's cells, the deterioration would stop. Sephiroth refuses, and leaves. [CC]

When Zack comes to, Sephiroth and Genesis are gone. Monsters have attacked the Shinra soldiers, including Cloud. He fights his way back to town, defending Cloud and Tifa. The next morning, Tifa tells Zack that Sephiroth has gone to the Shinra Mansion, where he is poring over the documents in the secret library. One week passes. [CC]

Sephiroth goes on a rampage, leaving Nibelheim in flames. Cloud lies hurt at the base of the stairs leading outside. Zack chases Sephiroth back to the Mako Reactor in Mt. Nibel, and finds Tifa wounded on the floor.. Zack confronts Sephiroth inside Jenova's room, and is blasted down to a lower level of the reactor. He and Sephiroth battle extensively. Zack is badly hurt, and thrust back into the pod room. Cloud takes up Zack's Buster Sword and rushes into the Jenova room, where he stabs Sephiroth. He then goes back into the pod room to take care of Tifa. Zack tells him to finish Sephiroth. Cloud rushes him, but Sephiroth stabs him with the Masamune. Cloud manages to grasp the sword by the blade, throw Sephiroth into a wall, and thence into the reactor core.[CC]

5 - 0 B.G.:

Sephiroth drifts through the Lifestream and ends up in the Northern Crater, frozen. [FF7]

Tifa is rescued by her martial arts instructor, Zangan. She makes her way to Midgar, where she opens a bar in Sector 7 called Seventh Heaven. [FF7]

Zack and Cloud, both barely alive, are captured by Hojo, taken to the basement of the Shinra Mansion (also in Nibelheim), and used as part of his new experiment - to attempt to create Sephiroth clones (clones is something of a misnomer, as he is trying to make another Sephiroth through injection of JENOVA cells and concentrated doses of Mako). Most of Hojo's other victims are from the ruins of Nibelheim. All other the experiments are failures, resulting in a vegetable-like state, and most end up in the slums of Midgar. Cloud does not take to the treatment - the JENOVA cells do not affect him. Hojo labels him a failure, but keeps him around. [FF7 and CC]

Cloud's mind, awash in pain and fear, confused and sick and neck-deep in self-denial, guilt, and shame, begins to construct its own version of the events of Nibelheim. He merges his memories with the role Zack played and takes his position in the occurrences, thinking he became a member of SOLDIER. He also glosses over his friendship with Tifa as if they were best friends. He somehow manages to make his way to the Midgar train station. Tifa finds him there, and decides to watch over him for a while. [FF7 - Why Cloud did what he did is conjecture, but reasonable assumptions can be made]

Shinra orders Nibelheim to be rebuilt and populated with Shinra staff to oversee the actions of the Sephiroth clones from Nibelheim. They are ordered to pretend no catastrophe has ever happened there. (The flashback which shows the escape from Shinra Mansion is only seen in the American and International versions, not the original Japanese version) [FF7]

Hojo takes the remaining body of JENOVA from Nibelheim and ships it to Shinra HQ in Midgar, minus the head that Sephiroth took with him. [FF7]

Hollander, still under attack by Genesis, ends up injecting himself with Genesis's cells (the reasons are still unclear). He begins deteriorating. [CC]

4 B.G.:

Sephiroth finds that he can control Hojo's attempted "clones" with his mind, although he cannot make them do anything of any value due to their vegetable state. However, he finds that he can control Cloud more effectively, as long as he does it on a subtle level. [FF7 - Conjecture]

Shinra decides to build a Mako Reactor in the coal mining town of Corel, sending Scarlet, leader of Shinra's military wing, as their representative. The plan is opposed by a man named Dyne, but his best friend Barret Wallace convinces him to let it go. The Mako Reactor is eventually built. [FF7]

One day, when Barret and Dyne are outside the city, they return to see the city in flames. An accident occurred at the Reactor, and Shinra blamed the townspeople, burning the town. Barret's wife Myrna and Dyne's wife Eleanor are killed in the fire, but Dyne's newborn daughter Marlene survives. The two attempt to return to the city, but are stopped by Scarlet. In the pursuit, Dyne falls over the edge of a chasm; Barret grabs his arm. While the two hang there, both thier arms are shot off by Scarlet. Dyne drops, but Barret survives. [FF7]

Dyne survives the drop, unbeknownst to Barret. Both of them, overcome with anger, replace their missing arms with chain guns. However, Dyne's mind deteriorates, flooded with grief from the tragedy, and he becomes unstable. [FF7]

Gold Saucer, a huge entertainment complex, is built over the ruins of Corel, and the old town eventually becomes Corel Prison, where convicted criminals are held. The survivors of Corel move north and start a new town, called North Corel, but they remain a poor town. [FF7]

Dyne moves to the Corel Prison and takes it over, becoming known as the Boss. Barret moves to Midgar with Marlene (whom he adopts), and starts a rebel group named AVALANCHE, intent on stopping Shinra wherever they turn. [FF7]

4 - 0 B.G.:

Yuffie leaves Wutai in anger, and searching for Materia. It is her belief that bringing Materia will allow Wutai to protect itself and regain its honor and status. [FF7]

Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon is captured by Hojo and used in an unrelated experiment. Hojo brands him "Red XIII". [FF7]

1 B.G.

As above, there are discrepancies between FF7 and CC. The following is the FF7 version:

Zack, still in stasis in the basement of Shinra Manor in Nibelheim, recovers his consciousness. When a guard comes to give Zack his food, he knocks out the guard, rescues Cloud (who can barely move) and escapes. He hitches a truck to Midgar, taking Cloud with him the whole time. After debating with himself, he decides that he and Cloud should become mercenaries. While climbing a cliff overlooking Midgar, they are chased down by Shinra soldiers. Zack is shot dead, but they leave Cloud, who can still barely talk and move. Cloud manages to crawl to Zack's body and take his buster sword.

CC version of events:

Lazard, as the Angeal clone, appears and either breaks Zack out of his cell or wakes him up so he can do so himself. Zack comes to on the floor. He is discovered by Shinra soldiers, but knocks them out, then breaks Cloud out as well. Cloud is suffering from severe Mako poisoning as well as the effects of Hojo's Sephiroth experiments; he can move with assistance, but can't speak. Zack fights off the soldiers he finds and puts Cloud to rest in a bed in Shinra Manor. He finds a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform and dresses Cloud in it (his clothes are soaked with mako). Zack finds the note Aerith wrote him and decides to go back to Midgar to see her.

While Zack and Cloud make their escape, the alarm has gone out that Hojo's subjects have escaped. Shinra sends the Turks to eliminate them, fearful that Zack knows too much. Cissnei finally confronts Zack, unsure if she really wants to go through with it. She attacks him, but Zack fends it off, then runs back to Cloud. Cissnei finally decides to let Zack go, and reports that she lost him. She gives him a Shinra bike (presumably the one she rode). Zack puts Cloud into the sidecar and rumbles off. [CC]

Zack is run off the road by Genesis clones, then encounters the real Genesis. Genesis tears off a piece of Zack's hair - now the only available source of Sephiroth's cells and hence Jenova cells. He feeds it to one of his clones, who mutates into a giant monster. Genesis flies off, leaving Zack to defeat the monster. Zack continues on to Midgar, but on the way he ends up in Gongaga. [CC]

Although Zack had intended to say hello to his parents, Cissnei meets him there. Zack decided to ask Cissnei to talk to them and not put them in more danger by meeting them personally. He also sees Angeal (Lazard), who traveled to Gongaga to try to meet with Zack. However, he is attacked by more Genesis clones, who want more of Sephiroth's cells, and they're led by none other than Genesis and Hollander - deteriorating rapidly and with tiny stumpy wings. Genesis says that Zack's "S cells" aren't pure, since Zack's system rejected them - only Cloud's are. Hollander flies off after Cloud while Genesis keeps Zack busy spouting rubbish from LOVELESS. He finally flies off, leaving him with a dumbapple. [CC]

Zack rushes towards Cloud, to find Angeal/Lazard trying to fight off the Genesis copies. Zack beats them off, and finally gets rid of Hollander. He speaks with Lazard and realizes where Genesis is heading - to the core of the Lifestream, in the ruins of Banora. [CC]

Zack descends to the bowels of Banora and meets with Genesis in a room shining with Lifestream. Genesis uses it to transform into a giant monster, believing this will cure him of his deterioration. Zack finally defeats the monster. Genesis is shown a vision of the "goddess" of the planet - Minerva. What happens next is unclear, but at the end Genesis falls, defeated, but the deterioration is gone. [CC]

Lazard fends off Shinra soldiers with the help of the Angeal copy which Zack saw in the Midgar church. Both Lazard and the Angeal copy pass away from the effort. The next day, Zack decides to do a favor for Genesis, who'd always wanted to share a dumbapple with Angeal and Sephiroth. With Zack standing in for Sephiroth (he has his cells), and Lazard for Angeal, they do indeed share a dumbapple. Both Lazard and the Angeal clone disappear, the latter leaving behind a letter from Aerith, which reveals that four years have passed since Zack's capture, and that she's sent 88 other letters to him through Tseng, none of which came back. [CC]

Weiss and Nero, from Deepground, arrive in a helicopter to take Genesis away with with them. They won't be seen again till DoC. [CC]

Zack and Cloud are pursued both by the Turks (in helicopters) and by what appears to be the entire Shinra army. As Zack nears Midgar, he is confronted by a seemingly neverending battalion of soldiers. His memories slowly fading, Zack falls to the ground, where a soldier shoots him in the head. Cloud, aware that something has changed, manages to crawl his way to Zack's body. Zack, still alive, gives him the Buster Sword and tells him to "live both our lives". Finally, he passes away, and returns to the Lifestream. [CC]

1 - 0 B.G.:

Cloud, now fully recovered, but still taciturn, begins to aspire to move out of Midgar. Wanting to keep an eye on him, Tifa approaches Cloud with a proposition. She convinces him to act as a mercenary for AVALANCHE, whose headquarters are in Tifa's bar - Seventh Heaven. [FF7]

0 B.G.: (the events of FF7)

Cloud's first mission with AVALANCHE is blow up the Sector 1 Reactor. Cloud and Barret are aided by Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, and succeed in planting a bomb, disabling the reactor. Cloud meets a flower girl (Aerith) on the way out, who offers to sell him a flower for 1 gil. Cloud heads back with Barret to Seventh Heaven, where they are greeted by Tifa and Barret's adopted daughter, Marlene. [FF7]

Denzel's parents move to Sector 5. [OAWTAS: Denzel]

AVALANCHE carries out a second mission on the Sector 5 Reactor. However, they are visited by President Shinra, who leaves them to be destroyed by a new military robot. They disable the robot, but an explosion drops Cloud through the roof of the church in the Sector 5 slums (mirroring Zack's fall five years earlier), where he is discovered by Aerith. [FF7] The explosion kills the parents of Denzel and leaves him homeless, wandering to anyone who will take him in. [AC]

The explosion kills the parents of Denzel and leaves him homeless, wandering to anyone who will take him in. Reno chooses this time to lead a faction of Shinra soldiers into the church in another attempt at capturing Aerith. Cloud helps Aerith escape and they travel to her house, where she introduces him to Elmyra. Cloud asks how he can get back to Sector 7, and is told that Wall Market, in Sector 6, is the only way there. Aerith offers to take him, but both Cloud and Elmyra agree secretly that he should leave without her. [FF7]

Don Corneo, a playboy who lives in Wall Market, is ordered by Heidigger (head of Shinra's "Public Safety Maintenance", a euphemism for the Turks) to discover Barret's whereabouts. He does so, but Barret finds out from Corneo's assistant about him, as well. He keeps a harem of women and chooses one each night. Barret agrees to let Tifa infiltrate his mansion and extract whatever he knows from him. [FF7]

Cloud makes it through Sector 6 alone, but finds Aerith waiting for him at a nearby playground. Before they can leave to Wall Market, they see a Chocobo-driven coach with none other than Tifa on it; Cloud resolves to find out what's up. They continue to Wall Market. [FF7]

Cloud and Aerith find out about Don Corneo. Aerith offers to go in herself, but Cloud refuses to let her. Aerith decides to dress Cloud up as a girl and have him infiltrate the mansion himself! They do so, find Tifa and rescue her from Corneo's henchmen, and corner him in his room. They find out that Shinra is planning on destroying the entire Sector 7 to get at AVALANCHE. Before they can get there, though, Corneo drops them into the sewers and sics his pet monster on them. [FF7]

They defeat the monster, make their way through the sewers and the nearby train graveyard. They find the pillar which holds up Sector 7 already under attack, with Barret and the other AVALANCHE members in hot battle. Aerith agrees to stay behind to look after the wounded. She finds Marlene there and sends her to her house in Sector 5. However, she is captured by Tseng. Meanwhile, Reno of the Turks activates the destruct sequence for the pillar, keeping Cloud and party occupied while it runs down. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret make it out alive, but the other AVALANCHE members perish in the explosion. [FF7]

Barret finds Marlene at Aerith's house in Elmyra's care, and tells them to move away from Midgar, as it's no longer safe. They listen to him and set off for nearby Kalm Town. The AVALANCHE members travel to Sector 0 via a wire in Wall Market, and enter the Shinra HQ in an effort to rescue Aerith. They're helped by Mayor Domino, who's sick of his office being abused by Shinra. [FF7]

On the 66th floor they overhear a discussion about the destruction of Sector 7 and see Hojo for the first time. They follow him to the next floor up, where Cloud finds the headless remains of JENOVA taken to the HQ after Nibelheim. Nearby, they discover Aerith an a container. Hojo tries to get Aerith and a strange red beast in the same chamber for procreation reasons, but Barret blasts the chamber and a reaction occurs. Hojo quickly opens it, but is attacked by the beast, who turns out to be Nanaki/Red XIII. [FF7]

The five people split up and agree to meet at the 66th floor elevator, but are captured by the Turks and brought to the top floor. President Shinra gives them a long-winded speech, then locks them in jail. However, a Sephiroth clone arrives during the night and slaughters everyone, including President Shinra. It also takes the remains of JENOVA's body during its escape. Rufus, the President's son, takes over as President. Cloud confronts Rufus on the roof while the others escape and Tifa waits for him, but Rufus takes a helicopter out as well. [FF7]

Cloud and Tifa rejoin the others on the main floor; they escape using a motorcycle and a stolen truck. They end up outside Midgar, and Cloud tells them that they must search after Sephiroth. They travel to Kalm Town, where he explains the story (casting himself in the role of Zack, as this is what he believes) and vows to destroy Sephiroth. [FF7]

They catch a nearby Chocobo and travel through a nearby marsh to the Mythril Mines. They meet Tseng, Rude, and a new member of the Turks named Elena, who's taken over while Reno recuperates from his injuries in the Sector 7 pillar fiasco. She blurts out that Sephiroth has been seen in Junon. [FF7]

Cloud and co. travel to Junon, where they rescue a girl named Priscilla and her dolphin friend from a water dragon. They're told that Rufus is arriving soon in the upper levels of Junon. Priscilla lends them Mr. Dolphin to reach the upper levels. Cloud disguises himself as a guard and marches in Rufus's welcoming parade. In the meantime, his other party members disguise themselves as sailors and stow away on a cargo ship, dragging Cloud with them when the parade is over. [FF7]

Sephiroth (or rather, a clone controlled by Sephiroth) shows up on the cargo ship as well, and JENOVA attacks them. He quickly disappears after the battle. [FF7]

Cloud and party end up at Costa del Sol, a vacation village. They meet Hojo, who's on a vacation, but he tells them to go to Mount Corel. [FF7]

They do so, and end up in North Corel, where Barret is accused of causing the fire that afflicted the village all those years ago. Barret gets angry and depressed, and Aerith suggests they go to the nearby Gold Saucer, a huge amusement park, to let off steam. They meet a toy cat riding a toy moogle, calling itself Cait Sith; it is controlled by Reeve, the head of urban development in Shinra; it insinuates itself as a spy into the party. [FF7]

However, Dyne comes up for a visit as well, and butchers a bunch of people near the Battle Arena. A stunned witness claims it was done by a man with a gun on his arm, and Barret is indicted for the crime by Dio, the Gold Saucer's owner. Barret and his friends (including Cait Sith) are taken to the Corel Prison. [FF7]

Barret discovers Dyne in the Prison, and Dyne attacks him. Barret defeats him, and Dyne throws himself off the gorge for the last time. He gives Barret his necklace as collateral for Barret to get back up to the surface. The only way up is to win a Chocobo race, and Cloud volunteers for the job. He wins, of course, and Dio, by way of apology, lends him a Buggy to travel around in. [FF7]

They take the Buggy to Gongaga, a town to the south. They meet up with Reno and Rude, who have been alerted to their presence by Cait Sith. They drive them off, though. They come across a deserted reactor and witness Scarlet and Tseng attempt to take materia from it; the materia is apparently not up to par. Scarlet is looking for Huge Materia (an extremely dense isotope) for a new weapon. They also meet Zack's parents, but Cloud doesn't remember Zack at all. [FF7]

The Buggy shorts out after trying to get past Cosmo Canyon, so they are forced to take refuge there while a repairman fixes it. They are greeted warmly when the townspeople find out that Nanaki/Red XIII is with them. Red XIII introduces them to his grandfather, Bugenhagen. Bugenhagen wishes Red XIII to go with Cloud to defeat Sephiroth, but first intends to tell him the truth about his father. [FF7]

He takes Red XIII and Cloud's party through the sealed corridor (which is now infested with ghosts of the Gi tribe) and to the end, where Red XIII sees the stone visage of his father. Having been told the truth, he resolves to travel with Cloud to defeat Sephiroth. [FF7]

Cloud and party reach Nibelheim. No one there recognizes them, however, since it is staffed by Shinra officers and vegetable-like Sephiroth clones. They descend back into the Shinra Mansion where they are met by Sephiroth (another clone) again. He flies away after mentioning the "Reunion". [FF7]

SIDE QUEST: Cloud finds the key to the room housing Vincent in the Shinra Mansion and convince him to help him fight Sephiroth and Hojo.

Cloud and party travel through the Nibel Mountains to Rocket Town, where they discover President Rufus and Palmer, head of the space division of Shinra, trying to convince Cid to lend them his Tiny Bronco bi-plane. Cid refuses, and he and Cloud escape on the Tiny Bronco. However, Shinra soldiers shoot it down, and it becomes only good enough for a makeshift boat. [FF7]

SIDE QUEST: If Cloud finds Yuffie in forests near Junon, they fight. After he beats her, she joins him when she realizes he has lots of Materia, and schemes to steal it at her first opportunity. After Cloud gets the Tiny Bronco, Yuffie suggests they visit Wutai. Once there, Yuffie steals all his Materia and runs away. He chases her throughout Wutai, and finds the three Turks on their break there as well. They are asked by Shinra to search for Don Corneo, but refuse. However, Elena and Yuffie become captured by Corneo, and the Turks agree to help Cloud save them and drop Corneo off a cliff. [FF7]

SIDE QUEST: If Yuffie manages to defeat the bosses in the Tower of the Five Gods, including her father Godo, she and he will have a reunion and she will receive the materia to summon Leviathan, who is the protector of Wutai. [FF7]

On the coast of the main continent, a weapon maker in a secluded hut tells Cloud about the Temple of the Ancients, a legendary place housing the Black Materia. The Black Materia has the power to call Meteor, an ancient destructive magic. However, he tells them that a Keystone is needed to enter the Temple. [FF7]

Dio, owner of the Gold Saucer, has a Keystone and is willing to part with it if Cloud fights in the Battle Arena. He does so, and Dio is good to his word. However, the Ropeway connecting to the mainland has been broken, and Cloud and co. are stuck in the Gold Saucer. Cait Sith takes them to the inn in the Ghost Square to meet, talk, and sleep. [FF7]

Cloud is awoken in the middle of the night by either Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, or Barret (the character depends on how Cloud has responded to each of them throughout the game up to this point, usually it will be either Tifa or Aerith). Cloud and Cloud's date have a night out in the Gold Saucer, partaking in a comic play in the Event Square and seeing the sights in the Round Square. However, they see Cait Sith with the Keystone. He runs away. They chase him to the Chocobo Square, where he throws the Keystone to Tseng, who escapes in a helicopter. Cloud threatens Cait Sith, but he plays a recording of Marlene, captured by Shinra, which stays his hand. [FF7]

Cait Sith pleads to be allowed to follow Cloud to the Temple of Ancients; doubtless Shinra was there first, but they would still need to follow them there to find Sephiroth. Cloud finally agrees. [FF7]

They arrive in the Temple of Ancients to find Tseng wounded by the Sephiroth clone. Sephiroth has continued to the bowels of the Temple, and Cloud and Aerith follow him. Aerith discovers the voices of Ancients telling her things inside the Temple; for starters, about the ultimate black magic Meteor which is kept via the Black Materia. The Sephiroth clone visits them and tells them that if he would call Meteor, the planet would unleash a huge amount of energy to intend to heal it; and if he were at the center of the planet, the energy would all channel into him. [FF7]

They find the Black Materia itself. It's kept in a strange puzzle; a miniature Temple of the Ancients, which itself contains another model, and so on; the Black Materia is in the bottom. However, by reaching it and canceling the models, the adventurer would cause the entire thing to collapse on him. Cait Sith (being a toy robot) volunteers to do it himself. He does so, and the Temple of the Ancients collapses, leaving the Black Materia at the bottom. Somehow, Tseng survives this, either by being carried out by another or his own volition. [FF7]

Cloud finds the Black Materia, but Sephiroth controls him and forces him to give it to another clone, who begins the journey back to the North Crater. Cloud begins deliriously attacking Aerith, but is stopped by Cait Sith #2, who shows up at this point. [FF7]

Now that the Black Materia is in the hands of Sephiroth, Aerith decides to travel to a sacred place, the Forgotten Capital. At its bottom is a water altar where an Ancient can summon Holy to counteract Meteor. Aerith tells Cloud in a dream she's going to the Sleeping Forest, and leaves. [FF7]

Cloud follows her to Bone Village, the entrance to Sleeping Forest. He excavates a Lunar Harp, which allows him to enter the Forest and Coral Valley, which leads to the Forgotten City. They wait until night, when the passage to the water altar opens, and discover Aerith praying there. However, she is given a surprise visit by a Sephiroth clone, who runs her through with his sword, killing her instantly. The White Materia she carries falls into the ocean and begins glowing green, indicating that Holy has been activated. However, the real Sephiroth in the North Crater stops Holy somehow. Cloud "buries" Aerith in the nearby pool. [FF7]

Cloud follows the Sephiroth Clone north through the Snow Fields to Icicle Inn, where they find evidence of Dr. Gast and Ifalna. They are also met by Elena and some Shinra officers, who refuse to let them out of the village. Elena blames Cloud for Tseng's death, and they fight. Cloud finds a snowboard and a map to the Great Glacier, and snowboards down the slopes to reach it. [FF7]

They find their way to Mount Gaea, a huge, cold mountain. An old man named Holzoff offers shelter and advice before they climb it. At its top they finally see the Northern Crater. They continue down to the Whirlwind Maze, where the Reunion is taking place - all the Sephiroth clones are returning to him, where he cuts them down. [FF7]

Rufus, Scarlet, and Hojo arrive in the Highwind, a Shinra airship. They discover the resting place of the Weapons. In the meantime, Cloud, Tifa, and the party find the Sephiroth clone who stole the Black Materia, and fight it out out of him. Cloud, though, is scared that Sephiroth may control him again, so he gives the Materia to one of his party members to hold while he goes ahead. Sephiroth, however, ends up tricking the party member into running after Cloud to the center of the crater. [FF7]

Cloud is given an illusion by Sephiroth intended on confusing him; in fact, Sephiroth is only telling him the truth: that he *wasn't* the SOLDIER at Nibelheim. Cloud's mind begins to deteriorate. The party member arrives on the scene and gives the Black Materia to Cloud. Cloud is unable to resist Sephiroth's mind and throws the Black Materia into the Mako pool where Sephiroth's real body resides. Sephiroth immediately calls the Meteor spell. The remaining party members and Shinra officials quickly escape on the Highwind. The five Weapons are awakened. Sephiroth erects an energy barrier around the Northern Crater, stopping anyone from coming in. [FF7]

Tifa and Barret are arrested and brought to Inner Junon, where Shinra plans on executing them publicly to blame them for the giant meteor on the horizon. Yuffie infiltrates Junon, posing as a reporter, Cait Sith as an official, and Cid and the others attempt to hijack the Highwind. Cait Sith helps Barret escape, but they are too late to save Tifa from the gas room she's been put in. However, before the execution can take place, one of the five Weapons attacks Junon. The giant cannon is put into use and destroys the Weapon before it can do any major damage. It does manage to break the seal of the gas room Tifa is locked in, and she manages to escape. [FF7]

Cait Sith rushes Barret to the Highwind. Tifa manages to elude Scarlet and her Shinra cronies until she reaches the very end of the Junon cannon, where she engages in a slapping fight. Before Scarlet can fire on her, though, Cid and Barret execute a daring rescue and they fly away on the Highwind. [FF7]

Tifa leads the search for Cloud; they find him in the city of Mideel, suffering from extreme Mako poisoning. Tifa decides to stay with him, and Cid takes over as leader. Cait Sith offers news of Shinra's new plan to create a cannon which utilizes Huge Materia as a weapon. Cid decides to stop the plans at all costs. [FF7]

The first of four Huge Materia shipments is at the North Corel reactor. Cid leads a party there; they hijack the train holding it, and manage to stop the train before it crashes into the city. [FF7] [Note: The game allows the possibility of not being able to save the game, but it does not effect any of the other events of the game, except that the party continues to be spurned at Corel]

The second is at the top of Fort Condor, where the people (who are trying to protect the condors at the top of the fort) have been waging war against the Shinra forces trying to take it over. Cid assists them and rescues the condors and the Huge Materia. However, the large condor at the top of the fort dies and leaves an egg, which hatches into a baby condor. [FF7]

Cid becomes worried about Cloud and returns to Mideel, which is suddenly attacked by the Ultima Weapon! The city breaks up and Cloud and Tifa fall into the Lifestream. Here, Tifa and Cloud strive on getting at the truth, and the true version of the past is realized. Cloud remembers himself and he and Tifa escape the Lifestream. [FF7]

Shinra takes the huge cannon from Junon to Midgar, to position it to destroy the barrier around the Northern Crater. [FF7]

Cloud takes over as leader and leads the expedition to rescue the third Huge Materia. They travel to the Underwater Reactor in Junon. They are stopped by Reno, but beat the mechanical monstrosity he sics on them. They hijack a submarine and shoot down the one carrying the Huge Materia, later rescuing it from the wreckage. They then get a transmission to return to Junon (Shinra thinking that the sub is manned by their own troops). [FF7]

The fourth and last Huge Materia is taken on the Gelnika, a Shinra transport, to Rocket Town. It is intended to be shot into space, along with a Materia bomb, to explode at the Meteor. Cid and Cloud travel there and beat Rude (who is guarding the rocket). They are given no warning before the rocket takes off, however (with Shera as its technician). They manage to unlock the Huge Materia and take it with them. However, the rocket is on a crash course for the Meteor and before they can reach an escape pod, an energy tank blows and crushes Cid. He is saved by Shera helping the other two party members, and apologizes to her. He notes that the tank which blew was the same one Shera was worried about during the first launch attempt. They take the escape pod back to Earth. The bomb damages Meteor, but does not disrupt its path (bits fly off it but are kept near the main bulk by magical forces). [FF7]

They return to Bugenhagen in Cosmo Canyon. He tells them that he will watch over the Huge Materia, and reminds them that Aerith is probably the key to defeating Sephiroth. They return to the Forgotten Capital, where Bugenhagen finds reference to a key hidden in the depths. Cloud finds the key by using the Shinra submarine and searching underwater, and brings it back to the Forgotten Capital. It is used to activate a display which teaches them about the White Materia and the fact that Holy is on its way, but stopped by Sephiroth. [FF7]

Cait Sith (i.e. Reeve) learns that the Sister Ray, the huge Junon cannon, is ready to fire, but before they can reach Midgar, the Diamond Weapon arises and heads towards Midgar! Cloud staves it off but can't destroy it. The Sister Ray fires on Sephiroth's barrier, destroying it and the Weapon, but not before the Weapon unleashes a counterattack, which destroys the Shinra HQ and kills Rufus. [FF7]

Reeve finds out that Hojo is powering up the Sister Ray again, this time to full power, intending on sending the energy to Sephiroth in the Northern Crater. Cloud and party parachute into Midgar, intent on stopping Hojo. They are stopped by Elena, Rude, and Reno, and a fight breaks out, but the Turks run away after it. (The fight can be avoided.) They are then attacked by a huge monster piloted by Scarlet and Heidigger, which also fails to stop them. They finally find Hojo, who undergoes various mutations (using injections of JENOVA cells) before finally yielding to Cloud's attacks. [FF7]

Cloud and party finally make their way to the Northern Crater and descend into it, defeating JENOVA and Sephiroth once and for all. Meteor continues falling. Then the Holy spell comes forth. However, it is too late. Meteor is too close and the fierce combat of the two spells results in even more destruction. It seems not only Midgar will be destroyed, but the entire planet. Just then, Lifestream emerges from the Planet, aided by the consciousness of Aerith (and all those who died), and pushes back Meteor, neutralizing it once and for all. This event becomes known as Meteorfall. [FF7]

Vincent and Yuffie lead a rescue operation of Midgar during Meteorfall. Vincent, acting on a hunch, climbs up the tower to discover Hojo is still alive, returned to human form, at the computer console where they left him. Just before Vincent is able to pull the trigger on his gun, the tower explodes, and Vincent manages to escape by jumping onto Yuffie's "hover bike". Hojo manages to activate the "Fragment Program", a computer program that injects his consciousness into the "worldwide net" just before the HQ explodes. [DoC]

SIDE QUESTS: (These can happen at any point in the game providing the player has the ability to do them. For example, you will not be able to meet Lucrecia in the waterfall cave if you never found Vincent in the first place!)

Vincent discovers Lucrecia in a waterfall cave. The only thing he can thing to say to her is that Sephiroth is dead. He later finds his best weapon (Death Penalty) and Limit Break in the cave. [FF7] This Lucrecia is only a projection of the real Lucrecia, who "crumbled away long ago". [DoC]

This Lucrecia is only a projection of the real Lucrecia, who "crumbled away long ago". Cloud breeds his own chocobo in the chocobo stables, and runs them in races. He can find hints and tips about breeding by talking to a purple Chocobo Sage, who unfortunately suffers from periodic amnesia. Cloud breeds his Chocobos in such away they make ones with different transportational abilities (some can go in land, some rivers), ending in the Gold Chocobo, which can go anywhere. He uses these various Chocobos to visit four secret Materia caves; the Knights of the Round summon is in one of them. [FF7]

Cloud chases after the flying Ultima Weapon in the Highwind, and gets the Ultima Weapon sword when he defeats it. It also causes a huge chasm in the Cosmo Canyon area, and Cloud can climb to the Ancient Forest, which houses another sword, the Apocalypse, as well as some other goodies like the Typoon summon. [FF7]

Cloud visits the Gelnika, shot down by a Weapon (possibly Emerald Weapon) when flying to Rocket Town. Reno and Rude are here as well, and they initiate a fight. Much treasure is inside, including the Hades summon. [FF7]

Ruby Weapon buries itself in the Corel desert, only poking out a claw to catch unwary travlers. Cloud manages to defeat it, and a trader in Kalm Town will gives him his own gold Chocobo. (This is only in the American and International versions, not the original Japanese version) [FF7]

The Ghost Ship enemy in the Underwater Reactor drops a 'Guide Book' if morphed. Cloud gives it to the trader in Kalm Town who returns with an Underwater materia. This allows allows Cloud and the others to breathe underwater so they can defeat the Emerald Weapon dwelling under the ocean. (If Cloud does not have the master materia, he has twenty minutes to defeat the weapon before he dies). After he defeats Emerald Weapon, the trader gives him one of every Master Materia! (This is only in the American and International versions, not the original Japanese version) [FF7]

0 - 2 A.G.:

Meteor is destroyed, but when Lifestream spreads over the Planet, it carries JENOVA cells with it (because JENOVA was blown apart inside the Planet and its pieces fell into Lifestream). These JENOVA cells are contracted by people and infect the body, which causes the body to fight back with its own spirit energy (the body's internal lifestream). This internal conflict causes the body to overcompensate and causes fatigue, open sores, discoloration of the skin, secretion of black liquid, and eventually death. This disease becomes known as Geostigma and heavily affects the people, though they do not know what causes it, and thus, can't cure it. [AC]

Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Vincent, Red XIII, and Cait Sith stop once at the Forgotten City to pay homage to their fallen comrade. They all split up as easily as they joined, but promise to reunite one day. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

Midgar is in a shambles. The people decide to stop using Mako, and thus, the Mako Reactors. Shinra Electric Company goes under (moreso) and Midgar is abandoned. [OAWTAS: Denzel]

Tifa, Cloud, and Barret go to Corel and then to Nibelheim. They all decide they can't live in the past and travel to Kalm. There, Barret reunites with Marlene and they tell Elmyra what has happened. Kalm becomes flooded with refugees, and the three decide to go back to Midgar to try and reestablish normal lives. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

The citizens form a city on the borders of Midgar, calling it Edge. They construct a monument to Midgar (a replica made out of debris) in the center of the town. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

Denzel continues staying with people who will take him in, suffering much heartbreak as people around him die of Geostigma. Eventually he joins a group of orphans who are hired to gather scrap material for the building of Edge. [OAWTAS: Denzel]

Barret comes to the house one day with a bottle of Corel wine. After getting drunk he proposes they make a business out of selling the wine. They decide to build it in Edge, and sleep under a plate threatening to fall as they gather the parts to build it. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

The bar is built, and they end up calling it Seventh Heaven again. Barret becomes sort of a bouncer (although most of the time he just sits in a corner drinking wine), and Cloud takes it upon himself to gather the fruits, vegetables, and other goods needed to run the bar. He is having trouble socializing. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

After the first week, Barret says he needs to go on a journey to settle his past, leaving Marlene in Cloud and Tifa's care. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

At some pont during this journey, Barret gets an upgrade to his gun arm, giving it the ability to look and operate like a normal arm. [AC Conjecture: We see Barret has a different gun which can change to look like a normal arm, albeit made of metal]

Months after the bar opens, Cloud buys a bike, and spends most of his free time and money upgrading it. This allows him greater distances to travel to obtain goods. While traveling back and forth, he also starts earning extra money by delivering items for people. Tifa discovers this and encourages him to open up a side-business venture. Strife Delivery Service is formed - Tifa and Marlene take the calls, Cloud delivers the goods, although he can only go places he can reach on his bike. The business is successful, as monsters are still present, and lifestream geysers have ruined many of the roads. The business' success also means Cloud isn't around much anymore, and Tifa's surrogate family finds itself in a rift. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

Eventually, most of the people move out of Midgar to this city, including Denzel's group of orphans. Helpless and hungry, he finds a motorbike and a phone outside a church. He calls the number and accidentally calls Tifa. After a brief exchange, he collapses from Geostigma, and is brought to Tifa's. He lives there helping out in the bar when he is not suffering from Geostigma's ill effects. When she asks Cloud where he found him, she realizes that Cloud is staying somewhere else. [OAWTAS: Denzel and OAWTAS: Tifa]

Denzel treats Cloud as a hero and father figure. Although Tifa is a little hurt by this, it means Cloud stays around more, taking less and less deliveries. Relations between everyone seem to be getting better, and Tifa believes their family has returned. [OAWTAS: Tifa]

Tifa confronts Cloud about where he found Denzel. He confesses that he has been staying at Aerith's church. After that conversation, Cloud leaves. The only way Tifa can get in contact with him now is through PHS phone messages (he never picks up). He does this because he feels guilt and shame for all those who died that he could not prevent, particularly Aerith. Also, he hides the fact that he has contracted Geostigma, which he covers with a single sleeve. Due to his Mako exposure, he has more intense symptoms, with flashes of pain and white light, and spasms in the affected arm. [OAWTAS: Tifa and AC]

Reeve, having the financial backing of an anonymous sponsor (who Reeve suspects "is in debt to the planet"), starts up the World Regenesis Organization, a paramilitary outfit dedicated to cleansing the planet of its ills. Shalua Rui joins them; at this point, she has lost her left eye and arm in unidentified circumstances and uses a robotic arm. [OAWTAS: Denzel and DoC]

Hojo's neural consciousness is fragmented into the world network. When the world network is reactivated, his consciousness reforms. He uses his knowledge of Deepground, and Lucrecia's experiments on Chaos and Omega to formulate a plan. [DoC]

On his journey, Barret looks for alternative fuel sources, coming upon an oil field. [AC]

Reno, Rude, Elena, Tseng, and Rufus Shinra, having survived everything, make base at the Healin Lodge (west of Midgar), where Rufus is recovering from being hit by Diamond Weapon. He also has Geostigma. With all that has happened, he realizes the mistakes of the past and decides he must reform them. Procuring a Shinra helicopter, he organizes a mission to Northern Crater to retrieve the last remains of JENOVA. [AC]

2 A.G.: (the events of Advent Children)

Reno, Tseng, and Elena go to Northern Crater to retrieve JENOVA's remains. The mission goes awry when they discover Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj there, and they are attacked. Reno is able to get away with JENOVA's remains, but Tseng and Elena are captured by the three, and tortured for information. [AC]

In Edge, Marlene helps Tifa take care of the orphanage, including a boy named Denzel, who has Geostigma. Tifa gets a call from Reno. He has asked her to tell Cloud to meet them in Healin. [AC]

Cloud receives the message from Tifa and goes to Healin via the Wasteland. But he is attacked by Loz and Yazoo, who summon Shadow Creepers (monsters from negative lifestream energy). It becomes apparent that they are looking for "mother" and call Cloud "big brother". But as soon as they start attacking, they stop, and Cloud makes it to Healin. [AC]

Cloud is briefly attacked by Reno and Rude, who he easily shrugs off and discovers Rufus is alive. He appears confined to a wheelchair and has Geostigma. Rufus asks to hire him for his muscle, as he intends to restore Shinra as a benevolent power and set things right, to reform the mistakes he's made. He tells Cloud about the mission to Northern Crater, but when seeing he is not interested in joining them, he tells Cloud they found nothing. [AC]

Kadaj, after torturing Tseng and Elena, finds Rufus Shinra at Healin, and beats the snot out of Reno and Rude. Kadaj demands to know where "mother" is, showing him Tseng and Elena's bloody ID badges to show he means business. Rufus replies he doesn't know, that the remains they recovered fell from the helicopter. Kadaj reveals his plan to initiate another Reunion, using the Geostigma as the invitation. [AC]

Tifa and Marlene find the church where Cloud is staying and discover a dirty arm ribbon, evidence he is hiding the fact he has Geostigma. Loz enters, looking for "mother". He and Tifa fight, with Loz as the victor. Just as he's about to kill her, Marlene throws a Materia globe at him from Cloud's big box. Loz leaves, taking the materia and Marlene with him. [AC]

Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo gather together the children affected by Geostigma, including Denzel, saying they are taking them to a place to heal them. [AC]

Cloud returns to the church and finds Tifa unconscious in the flower bed. He suffers a bad attack from his Geostigma and wakes up back in the orphanage. Apparently, he was brought there by Rude and Reno, who go off to find what happened to the children. Tifa confronts him about his disease and why he kept it a secret. Cloud remains tight-lipped and closed off, saying he does not deserve help. Tifa asks him to open up, knowing Aerith is at the back of his mind, but Cloud refuses. Reno and Rude return, saying the children were brought to the Forgotten City. Cloud leaves to pursue them. [AC]

Kadaj takes one of the materia Loz has brought with him and inserts it into his arm. He talks to the children at the pond in from of the Forgotten City. He tells them that "mother" gave them a gift, but the planet is trying to fight it, causing the Geostigma. He wants to heal them, to strike back at the Planet. He permeates the water with his will and commands them to drink. They all do, including Denzel, despite the pleas of Marlene. This activates their JENOVA cells and their Reunion instinct, with Kadaj's hopes that this will lead them to JENOVA's remains. [AC]

Cloud arrives, ready for action, but the kids jump in front of his bike, causing him to skid out. He is attacked by the three, and fights a losing battle, but is saved at the last minute by Vincent. They retreat to a safe place in the forest where Vincent reveals his theory of what Geostigma is and what Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj are. Marlene appears, asking for him to stop isolating himself from those who are still with him and love him. Cloud decides to stop brooding and try gaining forgiveness. [AC]

In Edge, the children have gathered around the monument to Midgar. Loz and Yazoo prepare to pull it down, believing this is where JENOVA is, but are surrounded by angry parents and summon Shadow Creepers to fend them off and cause chaos. Tifa tries to waken Denzel. Meanwhile, Reno and Rude fight Loz and Yazoo. [AC]

Meanwhile, Rufus looks at the chaos from a vantage point in a building somewhere in town. Kadaj approaches him, and Rufus asks what motivates him. Kadaj confesses of his jealousy of Sephiroth, who JENOVA really wants, but would do anything for "mother". Rufus says history will repeat itself, and no matter what, Kadaj and his ilk would be stopped again and again. Kadaj answers back by summoning Bahamut SIN through the materia. Bahamut causes even more chaos in the town, as Kadaj has the ability to control it though the materia. He makes Bahamut rip through the monument with its flare attack. The explosion breaks the hold of the Geostigma on the children. Just as Bahamut is about to attack Denzel, Barret arrives and fends him off. The others arrive too - Red XIII, with Cait Sith on his back, Yuffie, Cid, and finally, Cloud. He says he feels lighter. The group all take turns fighting Bahamut off, jumping from building to building, as Bahamut destroys the place, but they are like ants to it. Cloud dives in with a little more success. [AC]

Back at the building, Rufus reveals he has been holding JENOVA's remains all this time under his cloak, and throws the box off the building. Kadaj dives after it. Rufus dives after him, shooting his gun. [AC]

With Kadaj distracted, his control over Bahamut SIN is released, and Bahamut returns to his default behavior and rises in the air to attack with Mega Flare. Cloud jumps up in the air after it, being propelled by his friends Barret, Cid, Red XIII, Yuffie, Vincent, and Tifa. But it is not enough, as the force of the Mega Flare begins to push him back... until he receives a final hand from Aerith through the flare. Cloud drags his sword along Bahamut's spine and he falls in a giant explosion. [AC]

Shinra and Kadaj are still falling. Kadaj grabs the box, but Shinra shoots it open. Rufus is caught in nets thrown by Tseng and Elena. Kadaj recovers the box and escapes on a bike. Cloud pursues them through a closed-off highway. Reno and Rude wait with a flashy bomb at the end and detain Loz and Yazoo. Cloud and Kadaj jump off the highway, and Cloud loses him in the wasteland. [AC]

Kadaj hides in Cloud's church, opens the box, and screams when he sees the damaged contents. Cloud finds him and drives his bike into the church. They fight again, bringing down parts of the building. Just as it looks like Kadaj has the jump on him, the flowerbed erupts with a geyser of water/lifestream, flooding the church and repelling Kadaj. The water falls on Cloud, healing his Geostigma. Cloud pursues Kadaj outside and the Shera, holding Cloud's friends, hovers nearby (including Yuffie, who has apparently gotten over her motion sickness). Vincent says that Kadaj is a remnant of Sephiroth, a larva. They discuss what to do, but Tifa says Cloud has to fight this alone. The others don't understand, but go along with it. [AC]

Cloud successfully defeats Kadaj, leaving him hanging on the ledge of a building with the box of JENOVA's remains in his free hand. Kadaj falls back, holding the box, merging with the JENOVA cells. Cloud realizes what he's about to do and dives in pursuit. Just as he is about to bring down his sword, he is blocked - by Sephiroth's Masamune. They fight, as Sephiroth tells of what he wants to do, to choke this Planet and turn it into a vessel to sail the cosmos and find a new Planet. Sephiroth summons the spirit energy of those who died from Geostigma to turn the world to darkness. Cloud remembers those who he cherishes and defeats Sephiroth with Omnislash Ver. 5. Sephiroth wraps himself in his one black wing, saying he will never be a memory, and vanishes, leaving Kadaj's form which falls. Rain falls, rain like that from the lifestream that flooded the church. It falls on Kadaj, healing his JENOVA cells, which makes him disappear. Cloud basks in the rain and his victory as the Highwind returns. [AC]

Suddenly, he is shot in the back by Yazoo, who stands with Loz on the building, struggling not to disappear in the rain, using the ton of materia in their arms to sustain themselves. Cloud attacks as they release the power of the materia, causing an explosion. [AC]

Cloud drifts through white space, being observed by the spirits of Zack and Aerith. He wakes up in the church, surrounded by his friends and the children, in the pool of lifestream that has flooded the floor. He pours the water over Denzel, healing him of the Geostigma. All the other children jump in, laughing and splashing around. As they have their fun, Cloud sees Aerith walking out of the church, with Zack in the doorway. Cloud smiles, knowing he's been forgiven. [AC]

2 - 3 A.G.

Vincent buys a cell phone.

Hojo gains control of the body of Weiss the Immaculate, the strongest Tsviet (an elite member of Deepground). He uses this to control the other Tsviets (including Nero the Sable who has a deep affection for his brother Weiss) to begin gathering troops in order to 1) gain the Protomateria in order to bring about Chaos and 2) kidnap people not infected with Geostigma and drop them into Lifestream to purify it to bring about Omega. [DoC]

Deepground steps up its attempts to awaken Omega by kidnapping and killing 1200 people from Junon. Their troops attack, discard anyone who has a hint of Geostigma, and take the "pure" victims to their headquarters, where they are slaughtered. They attack Wutai in the same manner. They also upload all of Lucrecia's data to Shelke, who uses it to learn of the Protomateria. Shelke begins searching for Vincent in order to find the Protomateria. [DoC]

3 A.G. (the events of Dirge of Cerberus)

Vincent is text-messaged by Reeve, who asks him to come to Kalm for a meeting. Some sort of festival is taking place; however, it is interrupted by Deepground, who attack again and finally reveal themselves. Shelke finds Vincent there, and she and Azul come after him. However, Shelke faints and Azul takes her away. Vincent meets Reeve, who's pierced by gunfire, at which point his body comes apart, revealing Cait Sith, who'd "dressed up" as Reeve. Vincent later meets with the real Reeve, who tells him Edge is under attack. (It appears that most of the city had evacuated, as Shalua indicates that only 500 people are "still living here") [DoC]

The WRO tries to protect Edge, but Rosso the Crimson kills the entire squad. No one is left. [DoC]

Weiss broadcasts a message to everyone, telling them the "pure" will be "spared for the cause" (i.e. taken to Omega and sacrificed) whereas the "tainted" (i.e. those with Geostigma) will be hunted down and killed in a variety of nasty ways. [DoC]

Vincent and Reeve are attacked on the way to Edge; Vincent makes it there by himself. He meets Shalua briefly, but their distrust of each other has them go their own ways. Vincent saves a child from the Deepground forces, who helps him reach Rosso. Rosso attacks, but Vincent loses control and transforms into Chaos, blasting Rosso away. [DoC]

Shalua finds Vincent and takes him to the WRO headquarters, where she tells him of the existence of Lucrecia's thesis, "The Planet's Pulse", regarding the Chaos gene. However, Deepground, led by Azul and Shelke, invade and attack while they're talking. Shelke invades the lab and the two sisters are reunited after ten years, though Shelke should be nineteen and looks nine. Despite Shalua's gushing, Shelke attacks. Vincent uses tranquilizer bullets and Shalua takes her away. However, Azul pursues and attacks, but Reeve and Vincent destroy his Protect barrier with a rocket, and Vincent defeats him in battle. [DoC]

Vincent heads towards the Shinra Manor in Nibelheim to find Lucrecia's thesis; he goes via the sewers to avoid Deepground troops being deployed around it. At the same time, Cait Sith No. 5 is sent to the Deepground base under Sector 0. He sees Deepground's sacrifice of the Kalm residents to Omega, but is destroyed by Nero the Sable before he can do or see anything else. [DoC]

Vincent finds a hologram data disc of Lucrecia in the basement of Shinra Manor (the same place where Sephiroth was eight years ago). The disc cryptically explains that Omega is born of the Lifestream, and its purpose is to usher in the end of days by cleansing the planet of all living things. He finds four more parts of the Omega report (these sections appear to have been written by Dr. Grimoire Valentine, the other four found throughout the game were written by Lucrecia). In the main hall, he is attacked by Rosso the Crimson and a Deepground battle robot. With Vincent weakened from battle, she pulls the Protomateria out of Vincent's body. Without the Protomateria to control it, he transforms into Chaos, but can't move. Just before she can finish him off, Yuffie arrives and spirits Vincent away. [DoC]

Yuffie and Vincent travel back to WRO Headquarters in a truck. Reeve contacts them to let them know his plan - they intend to launch a full offensive on Midgar and Deepground headquarters, deep within Mako Reactor 0. Shelke wakes up in a WRO lab where Shalua has been taking care of her (Azul is also unconscious in another lab). Shelke takes her weapons and prepares to fight her sister, but Shalua challenges her and it's a standoff. Meanwhile Azul transforms into a giant Behemoth-like beast and begins rampaging through WRO HQ. This signals Deepground to attack again . The alarm sounds, heralding Deepground's arrival. The truck reaches outside headquarters, but Yuffie gets a bang on the head and is out for the count, leaving Vincent to deal with the troops. [DoC]

. The alarm sounds, heralding Deepground's arrival. The truck reaches outside headquarters, but Yuffie gets a bang on the head and is out for the count, leaving Vincent to deal with the troops. Vincent meets Shelke and Shalua at the same time that Azul catches up with them. Azul attacks Shelke, but she neutralizes his barrier. He turns back into a human and smacks her again, telling her that she's no longer needed, now that the Protomateria has been found. Shalua grabs Shelke and shoves her and Vincent to a door which begins closing. She uses her robotic arm to keep the door open while they get through and apologizes to Shelke for letting her suffer so much. The door finally closes on her arm, crushing it, just Azul is upon her. All we see is liquid from her artificial parts seeping beneath the door. [DoC]

Vincent finds Reeve in a destroyed office after the attack is over. At some point, the WRO find Shalua unconscious and take her to a regeneration tube. As Yuffie is watching over her, Vincent and Shelke enter. Shelke cannot understand why Shalua did what she did, how someone could give their life for another. Vincent tries to explain that she was Shalua's "reason for living", that that quality is what makes people human. Reeve tells Vincent that the Omega Reports he found in Shinra Manor are incomplete. Shelke says that the data fragments inside her head could be merged with the Omega Reports to complete the information. Just before this, Cid arrives in the Shera and everyone goes onboard. [DoC]

Everyone aboard the Shinra works on preparing for the assault on Midgar. Reeve analyzes the Omega Reports. Shelke works on modifying the Shinra equipment in order to perform a "Synaptic Net Dive" (Shalua has also been moved on board). Cid works on piloting and coordinating the attack on the ground with Barret, Tifa, and Cloud. Yuffie, Cid and the others will attack from the air. [DoC]

Shelke commences a synaptic net dive with Lucrecia's data, merging the information. The Shera's bridge erupts into a hologram of space (evoking images of FF10). Through Lucrecia's voice, Shelke explains that Omega is a sentient being created of Lifestream. Its role is like a Weapon, but, before the Planet is about to end, Omega will awaken to gather all life unto it. When it has finished taking all the Lifestream, it will journey into the stars. So just as souls return to the Lifestream, so too will the Planet return to whence it came. In essence, Omega is a "elaborate safety mechanism designed solely to protect the flow of life". Normally it poses no threate, but Deepground has been trying to awaken it by sacrificing pure souls to it, convincing the Planet the end is near. Reeve reports that Omega is being created from Reactor 0, which itself is being fed from the other 8 reactors. The air and ground assaults are meant to destroy the other 8 reactors and cut off Omega's supply of Mako/Lifestream while Vincent infiltrates Reactor 0, at the center of Midgar. [DoC]

Before they land, Vincent loses control of Chaos again. However, before anything nasty can happen, an image Lucrecia appears to him and calms him down. Shelke gives Vincent his cell phone back and tells him he can use it to contact her so she can guide him on the way to Deepground. [DoC]

The attack begins, the missiles fly. Yuffie and the first wave fly out the Shera on some sort of "hoverboard". The ground troops clash and Rosso meets Cloud head on. Azul attacks the airships with a giant rocket launcher, hitting the Shera. Vincent escapes an explosion with the second wave and glides down to Midgar dodging shots. Shelke contacts him and tells him he's missed his target, landing in the Train Graveyard (yep, the same one we saw at the beginning of FF7). Shelke guides him through the graveyard to the center of city, and the central complex. But he finds Rosso at the entrance to the Shinra Building. Midway through battle, she turns into Bloodburst Rosso. He defeats her, but rather than give anyone the pleasure of killing her, she destroys the part of the building she's standing on, and falls into the depths. [DoC]

Shelke tells Vincent that the assault on the other Mako Reactors has not been completed, they are still functioning. From the central complex, the only way to Mako Reactor 0 is to go up into a secret entrance in the President's office. Vincent is again assailed by Chaos, who tries to awaken. Shelke/Lucrecia explains that Chaos exists inside him, but independently. It is the being who will "gather all life" for Omega at the end of the Planet. [DoC]

Shelke's helmet malfunctions and she loses contact. She goes up to the bridge to see what's going on. Cid notices engine levels dropping; Shelke goes to investigate. She finds the engine room half-destroyed, and meets Nero the Sable there. He has already killed the entire crew. Shelke attacks him, but he draws her into his darkness. Shelke survives by using her magic to form a spherical shield against the darkness, but the shield has already begun weakening. [DoC]

Vincent travels through the Shinra building and finds the way to the undercomplex of Shinra HQ. When Vincent tries calling Shelke, he gets "User Not Available". Immediately after, though, he's then contacted by Cloud, Tifa, and Barret on his cellphone. They tell him they lost contact with the airship and send him a map of the Shinra Building (remember, he wasn't with them when they were there the first time). [DoC]

When Vincent gets on the elevator to take him to Mako Reactor 0/Deepground HQ, he encounters Azul. They battle, the second round Azul turns into Arch Azul - his beast form. Vincent is simply not strong enough to kill him. He then turns into Chaos, and transforms Azul back to human. Then he hurls Azul's own gun right through his chest. Azul laughs and drops into the abyss. Vincent goes unconscious as Nero hovers nearby. He drops Shelke's cellphone near his body before vanishing. [DoC]

On his way through the underground city, Vincent is suddenly engulfed by Nero's darkness, but Shelke tells him darkness cannot control him since he has Chaos and a part of him was born from it. He escapes the darkness unharmed. At the gateway into the reactor, he meets and fights Nero, who drags him into darkness again after telling him that Shelke is in there too. Vincent lets himself be swallowed by the darkness; this time, he finds Shelke and gives her back her cellphone before taking her out with him. Nero attacks again, but Yuffie intervenes just like in Shinra manor, and he disappears. [DoC]

Vincent finds a room with a Mako tube (similar to what Cloud and Zack had in Shinra Manor) and puts Shelke in one so that she can recover. Vincent goes off to find Nero and Weiss, and Yuffie goes after the reactor; however, their paths soon converge. [DoC]

They find Weiss, dead (or unconscious) at the center of the reactor. Nero stops them, though, shoving them into his darkness again. Vincent grabs Yuffie and escapes it yet again. Nero transports Vincent some bizarre realm (think Xen from Half-Life) and transforms into Arachnero. Midway through battle, he transforms into Gorgonero, but Vincent defeats him as well. After it's over, they come back to the reactor room and Nero stumbles toward his brother Weiss the Translucent, who is beginning to awaken. [DoC]

Weiss spears him through his chest, saying he has no more use for him, and tosses him aside. Weiss reveals that he is really none other than Hojo. The "Fragment Program" he initiated at Meteorfall dispersed his consciousness throughout the computer networks, then was brought back together. Now, using Weiss as his indestrucible body, he will merge with Omega to "traverse the cosmos in a blaze of glory", just as Vincent has merged with Chaos. (His original plan was to perfect his body by injecting JENOVA cells, but we all see how that turned out). Vincent attacks Weiss/Hojo but has his ass handed to him. Lucrecia/Shelke appears to him and urges him to control Chaos rather than letting it control him. Vincent succeeds in doing it, using Weiss's Protomateria to use Chaos's power while still in human form. Vincent battles Weiss Empowered, and defeats him, flinging him into a wall, rendering him unconscious. [DoC]

Nero gets up, having become "Dark Nero" and stumbles over to the incapcitated Weiss/Hojo. Helpless, Hojo watches "Dark Nero" embrace his brother and merge with him. The impurity of the darkness drives Hojo out and he disappears. Weiss/Nero walks to the Mako reactor and the Mako bursts up. Outside Midgar, a giant Weapon begins to form, attaching tubes of Lifestream from the reactors and feeding from it. Omega has awakened, and Vincent has transformed into Chaos. However, Chaos is unable to damage Omega, due to some sort of forcefield. [DoC]

Shelke does a synaptic net dive into Omega, treating the Lifestream that makes it up as a giant network, in order to find the Protomateria. Being restricted by ropes of darkness, she finds a bright light obscuring a woman (Lucrecia) holding it out to her. Shelke (or her astral projection) bursts out of Omega's head, and dives toward Chaos. Shelke shoves the Protomateria in his chest (and an image of Lucrecia bathed in white pushes it in further, before she is wrapped in a black strand and pulled back into Omega's wound, where his head reforms). Lucrecia's memories and true feelings seep into him. Newly invigorated, Vincent/Chaos rescues Shelke, materializes a gun out of midair (known as "Death Penalty") and tells her that "he has a story to end". [DoC]

While Vincent/Chaos tries to get closer to Omega, Cloud, Yuffie, and the others finally manage to blow the reactors, separating Omega's ties to Lifestream and some of his strength. With the cheers of his friends in the background, Vincent/Chaos dives into Omega. He works his way through to the core, being hampered by organic security probes. He finally manages to destroy the Omega Cocoon which holds Weiss inside. After freeing Weiss, they scuffle. Then Weiss attaches to a giant machine monster through strands of Mako and becomes Omega Weiss. After his defeat, Weiss sinks into the ground. Outside, Omega crystallizes. His majestic wings become alive and he begins ascending to the sky. Vincent/Chaos soars out of Omega and flies ahead. As the counterbalance to Omega, only he can end it. Vincent/Chaos flies forward into Omega and causes a giant explosion (one that can be seen from space!). However, the explosion apparently harms no one, and the white cloud disappears. There's no trace of Omega or Chaos. The particles of Lifestream disperse, along with a collection of purple fragments (Chaos), and return to the Planet. [DoC]

We also see Shalua's tube standing somewhere in Midgar. The glass is cracked and she remains prone. Her fate remains unknown. [DoC]

One week later, Shelke is adjusting to a normal life and has some coffee in the refurbished 7th Heaven Bar in Edge. Tifa, Yuffie, and Red XIII are also there. Cloud is searching for someone (Vincent or Shalua). But Shelke knows where he is. [DoC]

Vincent is visiting Lucrecia's waterfall cave again and leaves after he says to her "Thank you. It was you. You were the reason I survived." We see a single tear drop from the crystallized form in the cave. He goes outside to see Shelke waiting for him, watching the cloud-like remnants of Omega in the sky. [DoC]

Underneath Midgar, Weiss lies on a slab of rock, his gun-swords at his side. A mysterious man, known only as G, appears and says "It is not yet time for slumber. There is still much to do, my brother". His eyes shine with mako and a white wing sprouts out of his left side. He flies off. (This is a a secret scene, only shown if you collected all three "G-Reports") [DoC]

500 A.G.:

Red XIII and his grandchildren climb to the top of Cosmo Canyon and look at the ruins of Midgar, now covered in greenery and forest. [FF7 and AC]



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