Hanging loosely from the top of a ruined gate was a worn sign with the words "North Corel" painted on them. The tattered sign had, no doubt, seen better days, as had the small town behind it.
The village of North Corel was in ruins. Nearly all of the houses were made up of only tents and blankets, and the few wooden shacks that were in town were falling down around the owner's heads.
Slight pillars of smoke rose from the few fires that were burning inside the tents, warming the otherwise freezing town as night swiftly approached.
Only a few people were outside, and most of them cast disgusted glances at Cloud…no, past him, it seemed. Looking back, Cloud saw a few men living in the town run up to Barret.
"Hey! He's back!" shouted one man.
"Wait here," said Barret, sharply, turning to face Cloud and the others, and then he walked off.
Barret walked over to three men who lived in the town. One of them suddenly punched Barret hard straight in the face. Barret accepted it without flinching, and he didn't even react or retaliate to it, he just stared down at the ground, and he looked completely ashamed of himself. The same man who punched him in the face then spoke.
"Well, look here. I never thought I'd ever see your face again. Those people over there, are they with you? Well, I feel sorry for them. Hanging around with a walking death sentence like Barret," said the man.
The other two men beside him seemed even more enraged then he was, as they stared hatefully at Barret.
"They kick you out of another town or something!? You destroy everything you touch!! You've got a lot of balls, coming back here!! Look at this place!! It's all your fault that North Corel turned into a garbage heap!!" exploded another man, angrily.
"Why don't you say something!? Or did you forget what you've done here already!?" snapped a third man.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…" said Barret, miserably, looking unusually sad and totally ashamed of himself, and Cloud and the others were so shocked by it.
"You ain't even worth the effort, you rotten bastard!!" bellowed the man, angrily.
"Don't waste your time talking to that techno-freak!" shouted another man.
The other two nodded and they went back in their tacky tents. Barret walked back over to Cloud and the others, who were all shocked at what just happened.
They had been expecting to see Barret angry and furious, having known his short, fiery temper for a while now. But instead, to their surprise, he just looked completely ashamed, depressed and miserable.
"What was all that about? Barret, what's going on?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered.
"You all heard them…it's all my fault that this town was destroyed…" said Barret, bitterly, and then he walked off, his head bowed and his muscular shoulders slumped in misery.
Cloud and the others didn't know what to say so they walked along North Corel after Barret and they came to Ropeway Station, where Barret was standing alone, a look of utter sorrow and misery still on his face. Cloud and the others walked over to Barret, and they all faced him.
"Barret, what happened?" asked Aeris, gently.
"I'm sorry…" said Barret, depressed.
"What happened?" repeated Cloud.
"My hometown used to be around here," said Barret, with a sad, depressed sigh.
"What do you mean, it used to…?" asked Red XIII, bewildered.
"It ain't here no more. I heard it got buried four years ago…" replied Barret.
"But how could those people say such terrible, awful things? Why?" asked Aeris, in disbelief.
"Because it was my fault. It's ALL my fault. My hometown, North Corel, was a mining town. But then everything changed one day. That was the first time that I ever heard that word, Mako Reactor," said Barret, his mind flashing back to that scene as he remembered it and explained it to the others.
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The villagers of Corel all gathered around the house of the village headsman, awaiting the exciting news that he had promised, wondering what it was. The village headsman, an elderly old man wearing a green sweater and black trousers, emerged from the town hall, and the murmurs quieted.
"I have just received word that Shinra Incorporated is coming to negotiate the building of a Mako Reactor in our own area! This will mean better lives for all of us, and better money too! We've all being given jobs working in the new complex if the deal goes through!" announced the village headsmen.
The response from the crowd seemed very enthusiastic indeed. The village headsman waved his arms to quiet everyone down, though this took a while, and he continued.
"Scarlet, the leader of the Weapon Department herself, of Shinra Incorporated, will be arriving here personally to work out the details. A town council meeting will be held here to determine whether or not building the Mako Reactor is the right thing for Corel. The meeting will be held Friday night at the town hall. I expect all council members to be present," said the village headsmen, solemnly.
With that, the village headman returned inside and the crowd dispersed, all taking excitedly to each other about the news they had just received.
Barret (who didn't have a gun-arm at this time and had his artificial left arm) and his best friend Dyne, two of the most respected council members, stayed around to talk to each other about the Mako Reactor.
Dyne wore green jeans; a white shirt and he had purple hair. He was about the same age as Barret, although he was a bit shorter, slightly less muscular, and lighter than the big, black skinned man. Barret turned to face him, looking curious.
"Yo, Dyne, what you think about this new Mako Reactor?" asked Barret, curiously.
Dyne sighed wearily and shook his head.
"I just don't know about this, Barret...I mean I'm happy about all the new jobs, and the extra money, but still…I don't want to just give up our coal," said Dyne.
"I know, Dyne, it sure ain't an easy decision for none of us, but just think of the easier life that we'll have because of the reactor. Besides, Myrna can't take no more of this damn labour for much longer. We both got to work just to make ends meet anymore, and I really do want the best for her," said Barret.
"I know how you feel, Barret, but still…" began Dyne, then he paused, and shook his head wearily, and walked off in the direction of his house, his shoulders slumped, while Barret looked after him in concern.
"This sure ain't gonna be easy, that's for damn sure," muttered Barret, shaking his head, before returning to his own home, eager as he always was to see his wife, Myrna.
At his home, Barret later discussed the Mako Reactor issue with Myrna, curious about her opinion on the subject.
Myrna was the same age as Barret, but was much slimmer than her husband, and was also black skinned and black haired, her eyes a similar brown to his as well.
"Myrna, what do you think about the Mako Reactor?" asked Barret, curiously.
Myrna smiled and walked over to Barret, sitting on his muscular lap, and wrapping her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his own arms around her waist in return.
"I'm rather excited about it, actually. All the work in the coal mines has started to get to me, and with the higher wages being offered, I won't have to work anymore, which will be a huge relief. Is there something wrong, dear?" asked Myrna, concerned, as she noticed Barret look suddenly worried.
"I dunno...I was talking to Dyne, and he said he didn't wanna vote for the new Mako Reactor. He just doesn't wanna give up our coal…" said Barret, anxiously, concerned.
Myrna sighed in understanding, and stroked her husband's cheek in comfort.
"Oh, I understand…Dyne's always been very proud of our coal, even more so than the village headsman. It'll probably be tough for him to let it go," said Myrna.
"Yeah, but the vote's gotta be unanimous for the Mako Reactor to be built. I'm just worried that Dyne ain't gonna vote for it with the rest of us," said Barret.
"Oh, I'm sure that he'll come around eventually, dear...it'll be better for all of us. I'm sure he understands that," said Myrna, reassuringly.
"I hope you're right, Myrna, I really do…" said Barret, quietly, still rather worried. Myrna smiled softly and kissed him lovingly on the cheek.
"Come on, Barret, dear, it's time for us to go to bed about now," said Myrna, softly.
"But it's only…oh…" said Barret, grinning, catching on, as Myrna smiled at him, and the two of them drew each other closer to one another and they kissed passionately.
On the following day, the town hall of Corel was highly crowded and buzzing with activity, as all the townspeople were there, and were all clearly anxious to hear the results of the council's votes on the Mako Reactor.
Upstairs, in the meeting room, Barret, Dyne, the village headman, and the rest of the council were just getting ready to cast their votes.
As everyone wrote down their votes, Dyne seemed to be avoiding making eye contact with Barret, who was sitting across from him. After everyone had turned in their ballots, the headsman began to read off the votes.
"Okay now, you all know that the vote has to be unanimous, according to our tradition. I'll begin reading the votes now. And the votes are…yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes... and...no…" read the village headsman.
The smiles everyone had been wearing previous to the last vote vanished, and eyes turned to Dyne. He bowed his head, avoiding the vindictive glares of his fellow townspeople.
"I'm sorry, everyone...but our coal just means too much to me to just give it up," said Dyne, heavily.
The headsman and the rest of the council returned downstairs to let everyone know about the bad news. Dyne was bringing up the rear, still hanging his head. The crowd seemed very anxious and excited to hear the outcome, as the headsmen stood in front of them, looking grim.
"Well, everyone, we took a vote...and I'm afraid that we won't be adopting the Mako Reactor plan. Scarlet will be arriving here tomorrow morning to hear the news," said the Village headsmen.
The crowd expressed their depression quite loudly at this, and everyone shuffled slowly out of the town hall, with large frowns on their faces. Dyne sighed heavily once again.
The next morning soon arrived, and everyone was up bright and early to meet Scarlet at the edge of town. A large train with the Shinra logo on the engine pulled into the railway station, and a woman with blond hair and clad in a bright red dress, two men in suits, and four Shinra soldiers stepped out of the train. The village headsmen walked up to Scarlet, and they shook hands.
"Hello, I am the headsman of this village. Welcome to Corel," said the village headsmen, politely. Scarlet nodded.
"So anyway, let's get down to business. What have you and your townspeople decided about the Mako Reactor?" asked Scarlet, curiously.
"Follow me over to the town hall, and we can discuss about the Reactor there," the headman said, leading Scarlet and her entourage into the town.
When the town council arrived at the town hall with Scarlet and the two managers, the four Shinra troops fanned out to guard the entrances while business was being conducted.
The headman, Barret, Dyne and the rest of the Corel council stood on one side of the room, while Scarlet and the Shinra managers stood on the other side. The village headsmen began to discuss their decision.
"Scarlet, I regret to say that we have taken a vote on the building of the Mako reactor, and have decided not to build one here in Corel," said the village headsmen, heavily.
Scarlet frowned at first, but then she noticed the headsmen clear discomfort about the whole decision, and decided to quickly act on it.
"It seems that you would rather have the decision made otherwise," said Scarlet, pointedly, and the village headsmen nodded slowly.
"By the rule of the town council, the vote must be unanimous. One among us voted against the Mako Reactor," explained the village headsmen, looking at Dyne who shifted uncomfortably, and Scarlet turned to look at him.
"Perhaps we could convince your friend here of the worth of Mako power," suggested Scarlet. The village headsmen looked rather doubtful as he looked at Dyne.
"You can try, Miss Scarlet, but I just don't know if he'll ever agree to it. What are we going to do? The only person against this is Dyne," said the village headsman.
Dyne stood up and looked at Scarlet, deciding it was time that he explained his point of view on the situation.
"I'm definitely against it. No matter what. There's nothing to talk about if you're thinking of throwing all our coal away. Our coal's been protected for generations. Our fathers and theirs before them gave their lives for it. We have no right to throw it all away so easily," said Dyne.
"But listen, Dyne. No one uses coal nowadays. It's the sign of the times," said Barret, gently, putting a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. Scarlet nodded in agreement.
"That's right. Everything is Mako now. Don't worry; it will be alright, Dyne. Shinra Incorporated will guarantee your livelihood once the Mako Reactor is completed," said Scarlet.
"Listen, Dyne. It's a hard enough life around here without having people like you, me, and everyone else risking their lives in the coal mines everyday. I don't want my wife, Myrna, to have to suffer from constant anxiety about me or herself anymore," said Barret, his hand still on Dyne's shoulder in comfort.
"I know how you feel, Barret! I feel the same way about my wife too, damn it! But even so, I won't just give away all our coal mines!" shouted Dyne.
"Dyne…please…you've got to understand," said the village headsman, laying a comforting hand on his other shoulder. Dyne hesitated, and then shook his head, still unconvinced.
"We'll build the Mako Reactor in the nearby mountains, away from the town, and then you can all live easy and well from then on. Don't you have a family, Dyne? Don't you want the best for them?" asked Scarlet.
Dyne nodded and sighed heavily, his mind wandering to his wife…Eleanor…and to his little daughter…Marlene…
"Dyne? What do you have to say about it now?" asked Barret, gently.
"Yes, Dyne. Have you changed your mind?" asked the village headsman, hopefully.
Dyne thought about it for a moment longer, and then he sighed heavily, burying his head in his hands, and let out his deepest sigh yet, before finally responding.
"If everyone here truly thinks that this Mako Reactor is the best thing for Corel and its people, then I won't stop them," said Dyne, heavily.
Everyone else on the council cheered. Scarlet smirked with triumph, satisfied.
"Excellent…now then, if you'll follow me please so we can sign all the papers, and make it all official," said Scarlet.
The flashback ended and Barret continued to explain about his past to the others.
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"And that's how the Corel Mako Reactor was built and completed. We all thought that it would give us an easier life, and it did…until just a few weeks later. It happened when Dyne and I were out of town for a few days. Corel was burned down to ashes by the Shinra troops. The entire town…all the townspeople…all my relatives…everything…" explained Barret, depressed.
"Shinra troops!? W-What for!? Why!?" asked Cloud, in disbelief and horror, and the others were also wide-eyed with shock, speechless. Barret sighed heavily.
"There was an explosion at the Reactor. It was only a Reactor malfunction, that was all. But Shinra didn't think so, and they blamed the accident on the people. They said it was done by a rebel faction," explained Barret.
Aeris and Tifa gasped in horror.
"That's so terrible…" said Tifa, saddened.
"Well, I guess that's true. But more than Shinra, I couldn't forgive myself. I never should have gone along with the building of the Reactor, and I should never have persuaded Dyne to change his mind. If I hadn't been so foolish…so stupid…Corel would still be here…and everyone else would still be alive…" said Barret, with an expression of guilt, misery and sorrow mixed on his face, his head bowed.
"Don't blame yourself, Barret. We were all fooled by the promises that Shinra made back then. It was all their fault, not yours," said Tifa, gently.
Barret's clenched his one fist angrily, as he suddenly exploded with extreme, murderous rage.
"That's why…THAT'S WHY I GET SO PISSED OFF!!!!" roared Barret, angrily, clenching his one fist tightly in anger and rage, his teeth bared viciously, and a raging fire in his eyes. Then he suddenly slumped again, in absolute misery.
"Not only did Shinra take advantage of me…but I lost my wife, Myrna, too…" said Barret, now completely grief-stricken, miserable and depressed, as he slumped onto the ground, clutched his head in both his arms, and wept uncontrollably.
Cloud and the others were all standing there beside Barret, at a loss for words as Barret sobbing quietly. There was a mournful silence for a moment, when a cheerful voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"Hey, everyone! If you want to go to the Golden Saucer, hurry and get on!" shouted a station worker.
Tifa and Aeris both glared angrily at him for his cheerfulness, while Barret was still clearly very depressed, and they could all understand why.
"Let's all get on quickly," said Cloud, glancing at Barret in concern, actually feeling worried about him for once.
"Dyne was my best friend…we were close ever since we were kids…" said Barret, miserably.
Barret stood up slowly and got onto the ropeway, still as upset as ever, while Cloud quietly followed him into the ropeway, not saying a word, not knowing what to say. Tifa stared after Barret, full of pity and sorrow.
"I never knew…Barret never said a thing to me...not even to Biggs, Wedge and Jessie either…anyway, we'd better go on the ropeway now. Poor Barret…" said Tifa, sadly.
Red XIII kept silent, his head bowed, while Aeris nodded in agreement, looking depressed as well. Yuffie, however, didn't.
"I'm not sympathizing with Barret! He shouldn't have trusted Shinra in the first place! He should have known better!" snapped Yuffie, sharply, to everyone else's surprise and she quickly got on the ropeway without another word.
Aeris, Tifa and Red XIII then got on the ropeway with Cloud, Barret and Yuffie. The ropeway was a blue carriage that travelled on ropes. The ropeway then started moving and it travelled towards the Golden Saucer.