Very interesting! [Possible spoilers]

[Shadow Knight]

So I'm on the third disc, right, and I'm up to the Northern Crater, except I want this run through to be the one where I complete everything, etc.

Anyhoo, I'm just cruising round, and decide to go to Nibelheim. So I go to the mansion there, and at the bottom, as soon as I walk into the lab, this kind of flashback scene happens. It goes for about 10 minutes, and it shows some lab assistant in the basement there, and there are 2 bodies floating in these mako tubes. One of them opens and kicks the assistant to the floor, and lo-and-behold, it's Zack! Zack the opens the other Mako tube, and out crawls Cloud, obviously delirious from all the mako.

It then fast forwards to Zack and Cloud being in a ute, which Zack's pop is driving. They're on their way to Midgar, and Zack has a fair bit of talk with Cloud. He discusses what he wants to do, and ends up saying he wants to be a mercenary, and he wants Cloud to be one as well.

It fast forwards a bit more, and Zack is pulling Cloud up a kind of hill thing. Cloud is still infused with Mako. You then hear gunfire, and Zack goes off screen, there is a bit of sword clashing, and then Zack comes back. He kneels next to Cloud, then bullets fire and Zack gets shot back. 3 shinra walk onto the scene, and shoot Zack a bit more. They ask about Cloud and the general just says to leave him. Cloud then slowly crawls to Zack's body, stays there for a second, then (by looking at his body), grabs the sword and opens his arms, in the air, as if screaming "WHY". Then it ends.

Now, I don't know if anyone else knows about this, but I've never heard it mentioned before. It's very interesting and reveals more about Zack. It also shows how Cloud came to be a Mercenary.

Your thoughts?

[abrojtm]

Yes, this is a very well-known cutscene in the game. In fact, this scene and the scene with Aeris and Zack's parents are about the only scenes with any true information about Zack.

[Ichimonji]

Yeah, you're about eight years behind.

[Squall of SeeD]

Yeah, Shadow Knight, it's a very well-known aspect of the game, and one of the most important in terms of its backstory (making the fact that it wasn't incorporated into the original Japanese release rather annoying for those in Japan, I imagine, as it wouldn't have been available to them until the International Version's release).

By the way, the fellow driving the truck wasn't Zack's dad. Zack called him "pops" the same way young folks tend to call older Males that as a title due to their status as an elderly Male. The fellow driving the truck was just giving them a ride to the outskirts of Midgar. Zack's parents didn't even live on the same continent as Midgar.

[Shadow Knight]

Bah. Well excuse me for not going-to-the-mansion-for-no-reason-at-all, 8 years ago. :P

[DMKA]

Bah. Well excuse me for not going-to-the-mansion-for-no-reason-at-all, 8 years ago. :P

It's ok. I only saw it 7.5 years ago myself.

[redxiiii]

When cloud and Zack reach the outskirts of Midgar, Cloud asumes the role of Zack and lives his life as a mercenary correct, well what I want to know is when you start the game, did that incident only happen a couple of minutes ago or has it been a few months because were never told how long Cloud has been with Avalanche or when he joined them?

[Extreme Walrus]

Its been awhile since that incedent with Zack, and when he goes on the mission with Avalanche. Cloud is found at he train station by Tifa months later and is taken back to the bar. When he finds out about Avalanche and their missions, he tells them he is a mercenary and decides to go with them.

[Squall of SeeD]

We're not told how long before it had been, though I would assume it hadn't been more than two weeks to a month at the most. The assault on Mako Reactor No. 1 was Cloud's first mission with AVALANCHE after all, and it's not implied that it had been months that he had been sitting around their headquarters recovering.

[limallama]

Yes, this is a very well-known cutscene in the game. In fact, this scene and the scene with Aeris and Zack's parents are about the only scenes with any true information about Zack.

aeris and zacks parents? this is probably something ive seen and forgotten about but please explain.

[TheAbominatrix]

Aerith with Zack's parents. In Gongoga, if you talk to Zack's parents with Aerith in your party they reveal that Aerith was dating Zack. She mentions her 'SOLDIER first-class boyfriend' who Cloud reminds her of so well, but this is the only time they come out and say it.

[Masamune·1600]

Interestingly, if Aeris OR Tifa is in your party, Zack's parents will ask one or both if she dated Zack. Both girls, and that includes Aeris, will deny it. Afterwards, outside, Aeris will say something to the effect of "it couldn't have been him!" If you talk to Tifa, she will mention certain similarities between Cloud and Zack. This is an early indication that all is not right with Cloud's story.

For the convenience of anyone reading this post, I've included dialogue from before and after Gongaga where this idea comes into play.

In Lower Junon, after resting in the house....

???: ...That reminds me.

Cloud: You again? ...Who are you?

???: ...You'll find out soon. ......But more importantly, 5 years
ago...

Cloud: 5 Years ago... Nibelheim?

???: When you went to Mt. Nibel then, Tifa was your guide, right?

Cloud: Yeah... I was surprised.

???: But where was Tifa other than that?

Cloud: ...I dunno.

???: It was a great chance for you two to see each other again.

Cloud: ...You're right.

???: Why couldn't you see each other alone?

Cloud: ...I don't know. I can't remember clearly...

???: Why don't you try asking Tifa?

Cloud: ...Yeah.

???: Then, get up!

??? (probably Tifa): Hey wake up. Wake up, Cloud!

Cloud woke up.

Cloud: Tifa... When Sephiroth and I went to Nibelheim, where were you?

Tifa: ...We saw each other, right?

Cloud: The other time.

Tifa: No... it was 5 years ago. I don't remember. But, something seems strange
outside. Cloud, come quick.

Here, the "question" is averted by a disturbance outside. After the optional Gongaga scene, the issue arises when the party is seated around the fire at Cosmo Canyon.

Tifa: Cloud... Bonfires are funny, aren't they? They make you remember all sorts
of things. You know, Cloud. 5 Years ago... ......It's nothing. No, forget it.
I'm afraid to ask...

Cloud: What is it?

Tifa: It feels like... it feels like you're going far away... You really, really
are...... you... right?

Although the significance of this, as well as the dialogue in Lower Junon and Gongaga, would probably not be clear on an initial playthrough, it is easy in retrospect to see the significance of Tifa's speech, as well as that of Aeris, in Gongaga.

[limallama]

Aerith with Zack's parents. In Gongoga, if you talk to Zack's parents with Aerith in your party they reveal that Aerith was dating Zack. She mentions her 'SOLDIER first-class boyfriend' who Cloud reminds her of so well, but this is the only time they come out and say it.

oh yeah, cheers