Berlin by Night

"Berlin by Night" is the fourth level and second mission in the critically acclaimed video game The Operative: No One Lives Forever. UNITY field operative, Cate Archer is sent on a top-secret mission to East Berlin, to carry out the safe extraction of a scientist who wishes to defect to the West. The level consists of three scenes and is immediately followed by the mission Unexpected Turbulence.

Briefing
''We've been contacted by Dr. Otto Schenker, an East German Biophysicist who we believe is working on a top secret biological weapons program for the Soviet Union. Dr. Schenker has a desire to defect. He has asked us to assist him in exchange for information on his research.''

''This opportunity couldn't have arisen at a worse time. After that embarrassment in Morocco, you're hardly our first choice to handle this affair, but all of our other surviving operatives are tied up to equally critical assignments. If we want a chance at Schenker, it has to be now and it has to be you, on your own.''

Scene 1

 * 8:27 pm. September 17
 * STASI Records and Research Facility
 * East Berlin, German Democratic Republic.

On arrival, Archer gets in contact with four different agents who each provide her with pieces of information regarding Dr. Schenker's whereabouts. Bribing the guard at the entrance soon after, she ventures further into the compound.

Scene 2
Archer now finds herself at the main garrison and library of the compound. Trying to remain undetected, she photographs some of Dr. Schenker's work and sets the timers on explosive devices to prepare for her escape. She then meets her contact Werner von Haupt, who provides her with an ID card identifying her as the commandant's niece. Von Haupt warns that even if the staff ignore her, she still has be careful of the guards and security cameras. From there, she locates the entrance to the secret facility, which is behind a shelf in the library's basement.

Scene 3
Dr. Schenker is found waiting in his office and is not at all impressed that a woman has been sent to get him out. He gives in after a brief run-in with the guards, thereby following Archer out of the building. They escape from the military compound just as the explosive charges go off. Moments later, a brawny Scotsman steps into view, quietly citing, "Good girl.", while they run off into the night.

Scene 1
(Funny code phrases) Contact 1: "''Guten Abend Fraulein, do you make love to strangers?"  Archer: "Certainly not!''" Contact 1: "Then allow me to introduce myself..." Archer: "Why not introduce yourself to a police officer and spare me the trouble?" Contact 1: "Who makes up these ghastly code phrases anyway?" Archer: "Someone in the cryptography department. Someone in need of a girlfriend apparently..."

Contact 2: (through a pay phone) "Are you free tonight or will it cost me?" Archer: "More than you can afford!" Contact 2: "Why must I be made to say such idiotic things? [...] Tell the person who wrote the code phrase to grow up!"

Contact 3: (over a doorbell intercom) "Want to come in for a game of Twister?" Archer: "I'd rather run over you with my car!" Contact 3: "''These code phrases have a somewhat confessional tone to them, don't you think?"  Archer: "Yeah, now that you mention it.''"

Contact 4: "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Can you cook and clean too?" Archer: "No, but I can put you in the hospital if you want. Maybe you can find someone to take care of you there. Maybe." Contact 4: "What sort of imbecile says things like this?" Archer: "I'm afraid to find out" Contact 4: "By the way. I am supposed to tell you this...Behind the shelf." Archer: "Thanks." Contact 4: "Please don't think that I enjoyed saying those things to you. Even though the words were not mine, I am so disgusted with myself that I must return home and wash myself with soap." Archer: "Don't worry about it." Contact 4: "You are a kind young woman. I wish you luck."

Scene 2
(after locating Werner von Haupt) Archer: "Care for a light?" Von Haupt: "Danke. I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?" Archer: "I'm in the book. Just look under: Police Department"

Scene 3
Guard 1: "Want anything to drink?" Guard 2: "Sure" Guard 1: "What do you want?" Guard 2: "Very funny!" Guard 1: "I have to amuse myself somehow. One "3CP Soda" coming up!"

Scientist beside vending machine: "I don't even know why we have this machine. Did you know there is only one beverage in the whole Soviet Union? "3CP Soda". And you what? It's just tap water! It's not even cold!"

Scientist in office: "I don't understand it: The goat should explode but it does not! Jurgen's goat explodes but mine does not. Why? Is it a problem with the goat or with the reagent?"

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. You can't expect to reconstitute a dehydrated human being without serious side effects." "I know that. Especially if you reconstitute the subject with heavy water." "Heavy water? The mixture would be completely unstable." "That's exactly what happened! The mixture was so unstable that the moment anyone touched the subjects, they vanished. Poof." "Of course they did! They atomized. It's obvious."
 * STASI Scientists

Scientist 1: "Test! 1, 2, 3 Test!" Scientist 2: "Turn it down!" S1: "How's this? Over" S2: "I can't tell, I'm deaf!" S1: "Proceed with the experiment. Over" S2: "You don't have to say "over". It's not a radio!" S1: "I like to say it! Over" S2: "Fine!" S1: "How is the goat? Over" S2: "The goat is nervous. How do think the goat is?!?" S1: "You don't have to shout. Over" S2: "Can you come down here for a second?" S1: "Why? Over" S2: "I have to tell you something..." S1: "I don't trust you. I think you are planning to hurt me. Over" S2: "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to tell you... a secret." S1: "What kind of secret? Over" S2: "A good one. About Bettina. Something she said about you." S1: "I don't believe you. Over" S2: "Suit yourself..." S1: "What did she say? Over" S2: "If you want to know, you have to come down here..."

Trivia

 * This mission marks the first appearances of Dr. Schenker and Magnus Armstrong.
 * It is also the first mission to feature scientists in a hostile location, who may be killed without consequences. Civilian casualties will still be incremented but not result in mission failure, supposedly because they end up being responsible for the creation of the later revealed "human time-bombs".
 * The German Democratic Republic was the official name of East Germany and lasted from 1949 to 1990 when it was reunified with West Germany, thus forming today's Federal Republic of Germany. The 2003 film "Goodbye Lenin" deals with the subject of reunification and highlights some of the major differences between Eastern and Western politics and society.
 * The guard in the gatehouse to the facility can only be bribed after Cate has met with all four of her contacts. Going to him before this results in him raising the alarm, thus failing the mission. This also occurs upon killing him.
 * In a conversation between two STASIs, one of them says "Geh zum Teufel" which is German for "Go to hell" (literally the "devil").
 * One of STASI guards hints to another about dreams of sex. Ironically or not, but this is joke 'no sex in USSR' (and socialist countries), where the information about sexual behaviour was forbidden in publicity.
 * The STASI (or Ministry for State Security) was the secret police agency of East Germany and is often credited as being one of the most efficient intelligence services to have ever existed. Their methods of interrogation and excessive use of wiretapping private residences have since been widely regarded as human rights violations. The 2006 film: "The Lives of Others" provides an accurate insight into life in East Germany and the work of the STASI.
 * Inside the compound, there is a cage containing three German Shepherds, which are still the most popular breed of police dog in Germany.
 * A large East German flag can be seen hanging on the wall of the garrison's cafeteria in Scene 2. While the colors were the same as its West German counterpart, the emblem consists of a hammer and compass surrounded by a ring of rye. The emblem of both West and modern day Germany is a black eagle.
 * In the research facility, there is a lot of talk about CCCP Soda, supposedly "the only beverage in the Soviet Union". While this is a clear exaggeration, it provides some more comic relief and contributes to the game's clever use of Cold War humor.
 * The CCCP Soda vending machine also appears in the game's sequel, most notably in the missions set in Siberia.
 * CCCP is the Russian abbreviation for the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" (U.S.S.R.) more commonly referred to simply as the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1922 by the Communist Bolsheviks and was dissolved in 1991. Its dissolution is commonly regarded as the formal end of the Cold War.
 * The new bio-weapons program that is being researched in the facility is used on goats as test subjects. There is a special test area in Scene 3 (see quote above) which contains several goat pens and a room (accessed using a Code Breaker) containing a gigantic goat, possibly the result of a faulty reagent. If the alarm is raised, this area cannot be accessed.
 * Dr. Schenker takes a picture of his wife with him before his escape. However, if the cutscene is skipped, the picture is left behind. This picture can be later seen in his office at UNITY Headquarters in the sequel.
 * One of the Intelligence items found in this mission is the coded message "wirmp nliv lezogrmv" the translation to the message is "Drink more Ovaltine" (a reference to the 1983 movie A Christmas Story).
 * Two of the STASI scientists, who are discussing the re-hydration of a human being with saturated water, indirectly reference the 1966 Batman movie.