Cloud awakens refreshed in the mission planning room and everyone is gone. He approaches the pinball hachine lift and rises into the bar. Tifa and Barret are standing waiting for Cloud. Marlene is mixing drinks behind the bar. He approaches Tifa and she says, "Good Morning! Cloud!" She asks him, "Did you sleep well?"
Cloud responds, (Choice 1) "Barret's snoring kept me up..." (OR) (Choice 2) "Next to you, who wouldn't?" (Yeah, we all wouldn't mind)
In response to (Choice 2) Tifa says, "I don't know what you mean." (Yeah Right!) She changes the subject. "I'm going this time," she declares.
Cloud turns to Barret. "Our target's the Sector 5 Reactor. Head for the station first," he briefs. "I'll fill you in on the train." he adds. "Yo! Cloud!" he continues, "Before the next mission, I got somethin' I wanna ask you! I, uh... don't know how to use Materia! I'll give you the Materia you found. Just teach me how to use it!
Cloud sighs, and says, (Choice 1) "Ok, I'll explain it" (OR) (Choice 2) "You wouldn't understand." (If (Choice 2) is selected game goes into Materia Tutorial Mode.)
In response to (Choice 1) Barret says, "Shi(t)... What's this. It wasn't that tough! 'crap!" After a pause he concedes, "I'm clueless..." He sigh, "Well, you handle the Materia then!
Tifa breaks in, "Cloud I got a message from the Weapon Shop man upstairs. He has something he wants to give you. Don't forget!" Tifa turns toward Marlene and directs, "Marlene, you watch the store while we're gone!"
"All right!!" Marlene replies, "Good luck." she adds.
Cloud, Barret and Tifa enter the dusty road and go to the house just next door to the 7th Heaven bar. After they enter the house (Typical RPG allowance - go inside anybody's house any time you feel like it and start snoopin' around. Kiddies don't try this in the real world, it only works in RPG's, trust me.) they over hear a couple having a conversation. "He used to give us nothing but headaches when he was here, but now that he's gone...I kind of miss him," one of them says. "Strange isn't it," the other replies.
Cloud leaves the house and returns to the street. There is a woman running around who Cloud stops. She says, "Listen! If there isn't anyone to listen, what's the use of getting gossip on everyone!? Yeah, and you Mr. I-don't-care!" She remarks. "I'll get a little more infromation that would poque even your interest. You wait and see!"
Cloud moves south toward a peacemeal structrue next to the shooting gallery and shop. He enters this store, but the shop keeper doesn't see him at first. He's turned facing the wall. "Business sure is slow," he comments to himself. "If this keeps up, this store's goin under... Can't sell any good medicine in a slum like this," he adds. He quickly realizes that someone is standing behind him and turns toward Cloud and remarks elatedly, "Oh!! Look at this! This doesn't happen everyday. You a...customer? Yes!! Welcome!! We sell! We buy!" Cloud buys some items from the man.
After leaving the store, Cloud returns to the shooting range, nothing much has changed there. On the second floor he encounters a bunch of tuffs and teaches them some of the things the learned in SOLDIER. (This is a special tutorial zone)
After Cloud and the group exits the shooting range, they see a man on the porch of 7th Heaven shaking his head. "When it comes down to it...I'm gutless. I'm still just a no good kid," he laments.
Barrets suggests to Cloud that they all get moving on with the mission so Cloud leaves the area near the 7th Heaven bar a.k.a. AVALANCHE hideout and walks past the piles of junk near the gate to the pillar. He is impowered by an irresistable urge to approach the two Shinra soldiers standing to the south. One soldier drills at Cloud, "HALT!! No one is allowed to pass!!" The other talks rather off the cuff about various useless topics and Cloud and the group walk away not wanting to hear the rest.
Cloud, Barret, and Tifa enter the train graveyard and Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge are waiting for them in front of the train thats about to depart. They all pass the same couple that Cloud saw last night and overhear their conversation. "I've had it," one of them says. "Me to," the other replies. "You know this is the first time we've ever agreed on something," the first adds. "Yes," says the second. "Shall we..." says the first. "Yes," says the second. They both kiss and fall unconscious on the ground. (I think this whole thing is some kind of comic relief, or japanese humor translated into English, but over all I don't follow the punchline)
Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge pile into the train. The ticketman comments as they get on, "Morning. Dawn comes and things never change. You be careful not to get hurt. Come on back again, hear?"
Everyone takes their seat and Barret gets in the center of them and says, "YO!" The rest of the team runs out the car. A man in a suit (I think this guy appears later in the game as the Shinra manager) puts his head in his hands, "...hoodlums again. God, don't I just have all the luck..." He sits down and pretends to ignore them. Barret runs up to where the man was standing and taunts, "You say sumthin'?" He adds, "I said, 'you say sumthin'!" He then walks right up to the man and leans domineeringly over the man, "Yo, look at that!! It got empty alluva sudden. What's goin' on?
"DAMN!" gripes the passenger. "I...it's empty because of...g, guys like you..."
Barret delivers a blow to the seat next to him and startles him quite efficiently. "yipes" he squeaks. "You...you've seen the news, right? AVALANCHE says there'll be more bombings. Only devoted employees like me would go to Midgar on a day like today." (Hey, this guy is that Shinra manager, I had forgotten that.)
Barret puts his fists up at him. "You workin' for Shinra?" he demands. (Oh duh, now the game says Shinra Manager above his words)
"I won't give in to violence...and (Text blocked by Tifa statement box) either!
Tifa approaches Barret and attempts to calm him down. "Barret!!" she scolds.
The Shinra Manager shakes in fear of being the next victim of a brutish man with a gun arm. He realized that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "(Shit?) you lucky (Fucker?, Bitch?, fill in your favorite vulgarity)!"
Barret decides to leave him alone and returns to the back of the traincar where Cloud is standing. Tifa follows him. Cloud asks, "So, what are we gonna do now?"
Barret replies, flailing his arm at Cloud, "Shit! The hell you so calm about? You bustin' up my rhythm." Just then the train whistle sounds and the car shakes as it is joined with the rest of the train. Tifa comments, "Seems like they just finished connecting the cars. We're finally leaving." The train starts moving and the chug of the engine reverberates through the car.
"So what's our next target?" Cloud asks Barret.
Barret again taunts Cloud, "Hah! Listen to Mr. Serious-about-his-work!" He smirks at Cloud. "Awright...I'll tell ya!" he adds. "Jessie's probably already told you, but there's a security check point at the top plate. It's an ID scan system checkin' all the trains."
Which Shinra is very proud of," Tifa points out.
"We can't use our fake ID's anymore..." Barret reminds.
That moment, the loudspeaker activates and the PA says, "Good Morning, and welcome to Midgar lines. Arrival time at Sector 4 Station will 11:45. (Yeah folks, that's actual grammar from the game. Attention editor...YOUR FIRED!) Tifa warns, "That means we've got only three more minutes to the ID Check point."
Barret gets to the center of the car and directs, "Alright, in three minutes, we're jumpin' off this train. Got it!?
Barret sits down and Tifa walks toward the Railway Map Monitor at the front of the car and asks Cloud, "Cloud, come over here! Let's look at the Railway Map Monitor."
A bum lying on the seat mumbles as Cloud passes, "Hmmm...? You'r the only ones that'll talk to me or come to my house. I'm impressed."
Cloud approaches the Shinra Manager and he says, "Don...don't worry about me." Under his breath he mutters, "oh man, oh man, oh man...!! I'm gonna brag to everyone at work about this..." (This is the same jerk who, in the form of Cait Sith, stole the keystone from the group at the Gold Saucer. He ended up joinin' the light side of the force, so we'll cut him some slack at this point in the game.)
Cloud walks over to Tifa, puts his hand on his hip. Judging from his overall lack of enthusiasm she says, "Hmm, it looks like you've seen this already... It's all right. Come a little closer." (She wants ya Cloud)
Before the two of them can cuddle in front of the Monitor the piercing alarm of ID scan blares throughout the car. The warning light strobes in the darkness. "That's odd. The ID Check Point was supposed to be further down." (I'll bet two Final Fantasy VII action figures that the Shinra Manager activated the alarm with a remote of some kind. I don't care what anybody says this guy sucks.) The loudspeaker announces, "Type A Security Alert!!" (Just hope that doesn't ever happen to you at the blood bank.) "Unidentified passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be conducted! Repeat!! Type A Security Alert!! Unidentifed (flying) passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be conducted!
"What's happening?" Tifa demands. "What's goin' on!!" Barret gripes.
Just then Jessie busts in, "We're in trouble." he poses anxiously. "I'll explain later. Hurry! Get into the next car!"
"(Fuck?)! Someone blew it..." Barret growls.
The loudspeaker breaks in, "Unidentified passengers located in Car # 1 Preparing for Lock Down."
"Let's go! Keep it up!" Barret adamantly pursuades.
Cloud, Tifa, and Barret enter the next car. The loudspeaker announces, "Car #1: Locked Down Upgrading to Level 2 Warning"
Wedge runs toward them proclaiming, "They're gonna lock the door, sir!" From the front of the car Biggs yells, "Hurry!" Jessie frantically reminds, "Just run!" The loudspeaker continues alerting the condition of the lockdown statis, "Unidentified passengers located in Car #2 Preparing for Lock Down"
Cloud, Barret, and Tifa run into the next car. The loudspeaker announces, "Car #2: Locked down Upgrading to Warning level 3"
Barret seeing that the strobing alarm light discontinued gains an illusion of security. "Awright! We clear!?" Jessie reminds Barret, "Not yet. They're starting another check. If we're caught, we're done for! But, don't worry. If we move up the train, car by car, we should get past it!" (How does he know this stuff?)
They through two cars, along the way he passes two familiar thugs from the Sector 7. One of them is the red headed guy. (He pops up all over this game in one place or another) When they arrive in another car the loudspeaker blares, "Car #4 Locked Down Upgrading to maximum security alert!!" Barret runs to the front of the car and proclaims, "All right!! We made it!" He motions the others to follow. "Yo!! This way!!
Barret opens a side door and says, "Let's go!!" We're gonna dive outta here!!"
Jessie, dressed up as a Shinra soldier asks Cloud, "Do I look good in a Shinra uniform?" Cloud responds, (Choice 1) "Yeah..." (OR) (Choice 2) "Not now" (choice 1) Cloud says "You look just like a man." Jessie replies, "Yay!! I'm so happy...I think?" Sitting down in booth is Wedge, he says, "I look just like my little brother in these clothes... I wonder how everyone's doin' now...?" (Somehow I don't think Wedge is up on current events)
Tifa turns to Cloud and says, "...Scary...huh."
Cloud shrugs it off, "Too late to be sayin that now. Why'd you come along anyway?"
Becoming a little embarrased she hides her reddening cheeks from Cloud, "Because..."
"Hey you two!" Barret interjects. "There ain't no time for that!"
Tifa approaches the doorway, the trainshaft is whizzing past the opening. "Watch closely. I'm gonna jump!!" and Tifa jumps out the doorway. Cloud turns to Barret and says, "You don't care if I go first?"
"A leader always stays till the end," he said as an excuse to cover his fear. "Don't worry 'bout me, just go!" Cloud moves toward the opening. Barret straigtens himself, "Yo! Don't go gettin' your spikey-ass hurt! It's only the beginnin' of the mission!" Cloud shrugs and leaps out the opening. Barret moves toward the opening and turns toward the rest of the team. "Later! You take care of teh rest!" Barret leaps out of the traincar.