Before Crisis Chapter Summaries – Chapters 18, 19 & 20

Part 7 of the Before Crisis chapter summaries.

Against the Shinra informant’s will, AVALANCHE take control of the under-construction Mako Reactor in the Corel Mountains.  Discovering that the leader of AVALANCHE is the daughter he thought had died, Verdot resigns from Shinra to save her from Fuhito and his newly-formed AVALANCHE.  Trapped in the bowels of the crumbling Reactor, the player Turk learns from Sears that Fuhito plans to use the Materia in the back of Elfé’s hand and others like it to bring about the end of all life on the Planet.  Barely escaping from the Reactor, the player falls unconscious.  All traces of Fuhito and AVALANCHE disappear and President Shinra assigns the Turks the task of locating and killing Verdot for his defection.  Three years pass…

Read on to find summaries for Episodes 18, 19 and 20…

18.  A Cry That Rings Throughout the Planet

Cosmo Canyon [ν]-εγλ 0006/10/30

The player Turk awakens to find themselves in a hospital bed in Midgar, watched over by two Turks they have never met before. They explain that they are senior Turks previously on other assignments and introduce themselves as a swordsman from Gongaga and an orphan raised and trained by Shinra, Cissnei.  Cissnei tells the player that they were rescued from the wreckage of the Corel Reactor, but have since been in a coma for over three years. When the player Turk asks about Sears and the Materia he gave them, Tseng appears and explains that the Turks have uncovered Fuhito’s plan to destroy the world but there has been no activity from AVALANCHE since that time and that Fuhito, Elfé, Sears and Verdot have been missing.

Months later, the player is sent on their first assignment since regaining consciousness to Cosmo Canyon with Reno in order to locate and capture an endangered animal and return it to Professor Hojo’s laboratory in Midgar.  Reno explains that the creature resides in the canyon and is due to appear at the village for the upcoming festival known as the Rite to Appease the Planet.  The two begin to head towards the village, scouting the Valley of the Fallen Star for a beast matching Hojo’s description.

Meanwhile, at Bugenhagen’s observatory at the height of Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki visits his adopted grandfather.  Bugenhagen reminds him that he must participate in the ritual as only his tribe can perform the ceremony and he is one of only two remaining in the canyon.  Nanaki understands what is expected of him as the Rite to Appease the Planet takes place once every fifty years, but is reluctant to go through with it.

Arriving at the village, Reno takes the player to see Bugenhagen, leading philosopher of the Study of Planet Life.  Bugenhagen reveals that Verdot had passed through Cosmo Canyon in search of his daughter, and that the Materia embedded in Elfé is an incomplete Summon Materia which is draining her energy.  They conclude that Fuhito’s plan must be to use this powerful summon to eradicate all life but he needs special types of Materia to complete his goal, and that Verdot’s goal is to extract the Materia before it kills Elfé.

Heading back to the village to continue their search, the Turks discover a number of Ravens chasing a creature like the one Hojo described.  Knowing that they can’t draw attention to themselves, the Turks lure the Ravens away from the village, leaving the beast, Nanaki, curious about what is going on.  Finding the Ravens to have developed in strength since they last met, the Turks split up and head in separate directions into the canyon to draw the enemy.  Coming to a ridge, the player defeats the pursuing operatives and calls Tseng to inform him that the Ravens have multiplied.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the canyon, Nanaki is approached by a female Guardian, Dinne.  She asks if he wishes to practice for the ceremony.  Sharing his hesitance with her about the ritual, Nanaki runs off, leaving her to call him a coward.  Elsewhere, Fuhito arrives at Bugenhagen’s observatory to seek information from his former mentor.  He reveals to Bugenhagen his plan to use the world-burning summon to cleanse the Planet and return all life to the Lifestream but cannot get the Materia to work correctly.  Bugenhagen insists he does not have the knowledge, but Fuhito warns him that if he does not comply, his subordinates will capture either Dinne or Nanaki to stop the Rite to Appease the Planet.

The player spots Dinne and follows her into the caves but soon realises the Ravens are after the creature too.  The Turk races against AVALANCHE.  Meanwhile, as Nanaki broods on a ledge of the canyon, conflicted by his feelings and his duty as the last of his tribe, he sees Dinne being chased.  The player is able to outrun the Ravens and follows Dinne to the summit of the valley where they explain that they want to take her back to Shinra Headquarters.  Suddenly, Nanaki appears to protect his friend, warning that he will defend her and join in the ritual at all costs.  He battles the player Turk, letting Dinne escape, but is defeated.  Understanding the importance of the Rite to Appease the Planet for the people of the canyon, Reno appears and the player insists Nanaki take part on the condition he accompanies them to Shinra Headquarters afterwards.  Agreeing, the three return to Cosmo Canyon to begin the ceremony.

Read full script here, or watch video part 1 here and part 2 here.

19.  The Choice to Start or End

Nibelheim  [ν]-εγλ 0006/12/19

After four years of experimentation at Professor Hojo’s secret laboratory beneath the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim, former First Class SOLDIER Zack and his friend Cloud are able to escape from their prison.  Leaving the town, the two disappear into the surrounding forest.

The player Turk arrives in the forest shortly after the escape of the two research samples.  Tseng calls the player to advise that the Shinra Army are also in the forest searching for the samples and that they must find their target before the Army does.  The player steals a radio and a map from a soldier and uses it to track the samples.

Evading the searching infantrymen, the player finally comes to the coastline at the edge of the forest to discover one of the research samples is Zack.  Zack pleads with the Turk to let him go but the player apologises for all that has happened to Zack, and that it is their duty to capture the escapees.  The player attacks Zack but he is too skilled and darts off into the forest.

The Turk is able to track Zack to a clearing where he is found to be nursing an ill-looking Cloud. Zack explains that Cloud has severe Mako poisoning from the experiments done on them at the Shinra mansion.  Regretting their part in the aftermath of the Nibelheim incident where they allowed Zack and Cloud to be taken by Hojo, the player Turk calls Tseng and tells him that the samples were none other than old friends and that they have managed to get away.  Zack thanks the player for their help and disappears with Cloud into the forest and the Turk decides to investigate Shinra mansion.

At the manor, the player heads to the archive room in order to find out what went on there.  At the archives, they meet Verdot who is in search of the records from the Materia-fusing experiments done on his daughter, Felecia, and asks if the player has come to assassinate him.  The player responds that they will not carry out that order and that they will do all that they can to help.  Verdot explains that he has learned the broken Materia grafted into Elfé’s hand is draining her life and the only way to extract it is to use the four special Support Materia that exist.  He says that the Turks gained one of the Materia during the incident at Corel, to which the player is confused how he would know this.

One of the archive’s reports indicates that there is a valuable research sample behind one of the doors in the basement.  Accessing the room, they discover an old colleague of Verdot’s asleep inside a coffin.  The ex-Turk,Vincent, introduces himself and has a brief discussion with Verdot, revealing that one of the Support Materia they are seeking is located in a room in the mansion.  As he says it, the party realise AVALANCHE operatives have overheard.  Leaving Vincent to return to his coffin, the player and Verdot chase and defeat the Ravens.

As they find another Materia with the pyramid-like crystal inside upstairs, Verdot explains that the Summon Materia in Elfé’s hand is draining her life and that to save her they must gather the four Support Materia together to compensate for that energy.  Suddenly another Raven appears and steals it from the player.  Chasing the Raven outside, they find Fuhito.  As Fuhito escapes, Verdot unexpectedly knocks them down, stuffing a piece of paper into their jacket as he does so, and leaves.  Moments later, the Shinra Army arrive.  The player realises he attacked them to give the impression they were not allies.  Reading Verdot’s note, they find that he has requested the Turks seek Director Reeve’s help in learning the locations of the final two Support Materia.

Later, President Shinra receives a classified message from Scarlet who accuses the Turks of helping Verdot instead of carrying out their duties to assassinate him.  The President is reluctant to take action against the Turks while Rufus is still in their custody, but begins to draw up plans of a secret assignment for Scarlet to capture Verdot and punish the Turks for their insubordination once and for all. Meanwhile, Tseng address the Turks, stating that they will go against their orders and do what the can to save Verdot and Elfé, even if it means forfeiting their lives.

Read full script here, or watch video here.

20.  The Consequences of Our Choices

Gongaga  [ν]-εγλ 0007/02/10

With the task of finding and assassinating Verdot transferred from the Turks to Scarlet, the Director of Weapons Development orders the Shinra Army to locate the secret Turk Headquarters within the upper levels of the Shinra Building.  At the same time, Reeve, Director of Urban Development, controls his robotic cat, Cait Sith, remotely to secretly make contact with the Turks.  Cait Sith meets the player Turk wandering the corridors outside the Turk Headquarters and manages to sneak inside against the player’s protests.  Reeve reveals his true identity to the Turks and says that he is here to help them for his old friend, Verdot.  He divulges that the next Support Materia is located in the ruined Mako Reactor at Gongaga and that the Turks should steal a submarine from Junon harbour to get there.

The player Turk and Cait Sith make their way to Junon harbour and, sneaking past the security, they are able to commandeer a submarine and sail to Gongaga.  Arriving at the forest around the village, they head for the Reactor.  Suddenly, they are attacked by monsters and Cait Sith flees.  When the player finds him, he apologises for running away and says he wishes he had the ability to fight in battles.

They come to a clearing on the edge of the ruined facility where Cait Sith has foretold the Materia to be, only to discover a monster which attacks and breaks Cait Sith.  The player defeats the monster, but the Materia falls into the ruins of the Reactor.  As the Turk calls Reeve to inform him of the situation, goblins steal the body of the toy cat, dismembering its parts and scattering them in different parts of the forest.  Reeve directs the player to find the various parts and they are able to reassemble Cait Sith.  Once Cait Sith is together, Reeve says that he has to attend a meeting and tells the player that there is a backup controller inside the cat that can be used to operate him.

The player Turk takes control of Cait Sith and together they make their way through the Reactor using the cat’s small form to enter new parts of the ruined facility and unlock doors.  They discover AVALANCHE operatives inside also searching for the Materia.  Coming to the room where the Materia had fallen, the player is ambushed by Ravens.  They do battle, but the Ravens seem to be stronger than before and one manages to steal the Materia, but Sears appears and incapacitates the enemy.

Sears leads the player Turk to Verdot who explains that he rescued Sears from the Corel Reactor and the two have been working together to save Elfé since.  Verdot says that he has discovered that while the only way to save his daughter is to gather the four Support Materia with the Materia inside her, the union will summon the world-burning Zirconiade.  He explains that their plan is to summon Zirconiade using this method, but destroy the Support Materia before it can take its full form, thus saving Elfé’s life and rendering the summon able to be defeated.  Verdot is unwilling to risk the lives of all those on the Planet for that of his daughter, but the player Turk and Sears explain that they must do what they can to save her and stop Fuhito.

The trio are sighted by a Shinra soldier who reports back to Scarlet.  When the President learns of this, he orders Scarlet to mobilise the Army and assassinate all the Turks for their betrayal, knowing in secret that with them out of the way, he can reclaim Rufus without any threat of blackmail.

Read full script here, or watch video part 1 here and part 2 here.

Intro and Episodes 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17, 18-20, 21-22, 23-Epilogue, Rescue and WEAPON, Special Episodes