Before Crisis Special Episode of the Legendary Turk (Extended Summary)

10/01/01

The Legend sighs as he recalls who he was back then. He asks Tseng if he would give it all up for the women, and he answers that he wouldn’t have the patience. Legend believes he has become a bitter person, and when Tseng asks him what he plans to do when his probation ends, he says that he will leave Costa del Sol. Tseng is surprised by this but Legend explains it is because he has come to find the place too busy and that he too has become impatient with the women. Tseng wishes him luck, leaving Legend wanting to cut all ties with his former life, and again reflect on his actions two years earlier.

11/10/99

Hurrying down the passage of the military factory’s second floor towards the location Tseng had targeted as the Liner’s whereabouts, the Death God is confronted by waves of mercenaries. Fighting his way through enemy after enemy with his bombs, leaving them pleading for the pain to end, he navigates the corridors, blowing down walls as he goes.

In a room at the centre of the facility, a squad of soldiers and their leader stand guard over the kidnapped weapons dealer. Hearing the explosions grow closer, the leader orders his men into formation. Suddenly, there is a blast at the side of the room, creating a gaping hole from which Legend emerges. He declares he has come to rescue the ‘old boy’ (Liner), and immediately notices him dressed in a blue suit, gagged and bound by his hands and feet to a chair in the middle of the room. The hostage has a strange look in his eyes as he sees the Legend and tries to say something, but his words are muffled. Legend thinks the kidnapping appears amateurish, and tells Liner to hold on just a bit longer.

The squad leader calls out to Legend, saying that the unique sound of his bombs has not changed. Legend says that it has been a long time since they saw one another. The man admits that he never expected the feared Death God of the Battlefield to have joined Shinra, and the Legend replies that he has only lent his powers. The leader states that even the Death God can not escape from such a predicament, and orders the soldiers to surround him. Watching the men come toward him, he answers that he has two principles; never make a woman cry, and never throw down a game. The man says that he has never heard the Legend say that before and that maybe he is different from before, but does not halt the mercenaries advancing. Legend shrugs and says that it is a shame it had to come to this and, as he does so, he pulls out the detonator for the bombs he has set and flicks the switch.

The bombs on the pillars downstairs go off as expected, causing the floor beneath the approaching soldiers to cave in. Screaming, all the soldiers disappear and plummet to their death, leaving only the Turk, the squad leader and Liner remaining. Legend comments that he has not destroyed so much of a building and annihilated so many enemies at once since his role in the anti-Shinra manoeuvres in 1995. The man says that he should be happy that he has not lost any of his ability over time, and the Legend replies that it is only natural given the way he uses his bombs. He says that the only way to prove he is really alive on the battlefield.

The leader sarcastically says that he is afraid, and the two are thrust into an intense battle. Using his speed and skilled techniques, the Legend is victorious after a short time. Wounded, the leader falls to his knees. Gasping painfully, he gestures towards the Liner, saying that he heard a rumour about what happened during the negotiations in 1997. Legend asks him if he is referring the mission in which he participated, and he responds that the truth will stay with him for eternity. As he says it, the ceiling collapses on top of his body, crushing him.

Disappointed but showing no fear as the building shakes around him, Legend unties the weapons dealer, recalling the arms negotiation mission of 1997. As the ropes fall away, Liner leaps from the chair, pulling the gag from his mouth as he shouts angrily at the Legend for wasting time and not releasing him sooner when the facility was crumbling. As the Legend looks upon the man’s scarred face, Liner spits habitually, and commands the Turk to lead him out safely. Hearing his voice, Legend stops in his tracks, realising at once that he recognises it. It strikes him how easy it is to alter one’s face and name, but not voice.

As he turns to look at the weapons trader, Tseng calls to ask the status of Mr. Liner and tells Legend to hurry up as the time window for escape is closing fast. Legend replies by telling Tseng that Verdot will have a record of what he told him back in 1997, and hangs up. As he does so, Liner enquires if that was the Turks phone aid and asks why he disconnected the call for his own convenience.

The Death God casually asks if he remembers the events of 1997. Liner shouts that they don’t have time to talk, but the Legend repeats the question. Liner says that he will get himself out, but the Legend will have to pay him if he wants to ‘inspire’ him to remember. As chunks of ceiling fall down around them, the arms dealer becomes frantic and pleads for them to leave. Speaking softly, the Turk asks Liner if he is a gambling man, and bets that the weapons trader would give up his memories in order to leave the facility safely. Liner asks the Death God if he is insane, to which he responds by asking why Liner will not protect his own life by offering up the information. Liner then asks if it is a usual occurrence that the Turks abandon their duty. Legend tells the dealer that he will do it before anyone realises what has happened, and leaves him behind, screaming his name as the building falls.

Later at Turk Headquarters, Tseng approaches Verdot to ask about Legend’s punishment after he deliberately quit his assignment. Verdot answers that in light of his immaculate past record with Shinra, he has been sent to Costa del Sol to be placed under house arrest for a long time. Tseng is very angry with what he feels is an injustice that an individual with Legend’s history is punished for abandoning his mission and leaving a Shinra official to die by sending him to a tropical resort, but bites his tongue. Observing Tseng’s reaction, Verdot reminds him that Shinra’s executives feared the highly classified information Mr. Liner held and the secrets of the military factory would be leaked. He explains that although the Legend did not complete his duty, he guaranteed that the threat posed would be removed.

Tseng comprehends that it has been determined that the damage caused by the Legend is less than what Shinra would have lost if the information had been leaked. He says that although they have only worked together once, it is testament to how exceptional a top class agent Legend actually is given that he can still expect to be successful in his main objective while abandoning the mission, but admits that he has no idea why the Death God did what he did. Verdot asks him if the Legend mentioned anything about 1997 in his last phone call, to which Tseng replies that he had.

Verdot asks Tseng if he knows what incident Legend was referring to. Tseng says that if he remembers correctly, it was an incident in late 1997 when an anti-Shinra organisation took occupation of a Mako Reactor and threatened Shinra. Verdot says that he is correct, and at that time it was Mr. Liner who was offering to provide the organisation with weapons. Tseng is surprised to learn that Liner was previously associated with and traded with anti-Shinra groups, and Verdot reveals that his connection was very close.
Verdot asks Tseng if he was aware of the outcome of the incident. Tseng answers that he knew the anti-Shinra force’s operation failed, and that official reports stated that there were only two unnamed survivors. Verdot states that it is highly probable that the man known as Mr. Liner was one of the survivors, and Tseng gasps as Verdot confirms that the other was the Death God. Tseng realises that after the incident, the arms trader had changed his name to Liner and had facial surgery to hide his identity and his past, and it seemed had later began trading with Shinra. (Side note – it doesn’t specifically say so anywhere, but I reckon this is the same arms dealer who was trading with anti-Shinra groups during the Special Episode of Tseng. He was thus indirectly responsible for Tseng being put in intensive care, Verdot getting his scar, and ultimately Kalm being bombed. As far as I can make out, this all occurred before the incident with Legend.)

Verdot recalls that on that day, he went to the Mako Reactor immediately after the incident to confirm the facility’s condition. He says that the Death God was there and that he was afraid, and that he put himself on guard, but the Legend simply tossed away his weapons. Verdot says that he had something in his left hand; a single red shoe. He says that the Legend opened his mouth and said gently, “I will not cry for the sake of my family, but instead mourn this day for their death”.

Verdot reveals that Legend did not speak about the incident after that, only to say that he never did anything but bring forth battle. He guesses that Mr. Liner used the relationship he had with the Death God and his peers to betray them using a weapons negotiation. As a result, his comrades (family) were killed – including a little orphan girl (whom I guess the shoe belonged to) – and he only survived because of his strength. Verdot asks Tseng what he would have done if faced with the same situation as Legend at the military factory, having learned of the incident in 1997, to which the young Turk cannot give an answer.