Unexpected Turbulence

"Unexpected Turbulence" is the fifth level and third mission in the award-winning video game The Operative: No One Lives Forever It consists of two scenes and is the only level to be set on an airplane. It is followed by the briefing/training level Care to Explain?

Briefing
''During the flight to London, attempt to learn as much as possible from Dr. Schenker about his research. Schenker is a notoriously cautious man, so direct questions are not advised. He is also reported to have little tolerance for skeptics. Try to keep an open mind.''

Scene 1

 * "This is your captain speaking. We have reached a cruising altitude of 24,000 feet and will soon be leaving German airspace. I've turned off the seatbelt and "No Smoking" signs. Feel free to move about the cabin. We'll be arriving in London at approx. 6:15pm local time. The temperature is currently 25 degrees centigrade with clear skies. I think we can expect a lovely relaxing flight".

During the flight, Archer interviews Dr. Schenker about his research.

Note: Whether or not Schenker talks about his involvement in research depends on how the player chooses to speak with him.

He explains that he was the head of a Biological Explosives Research Team. The main project involved a chemical reagent that, when injected into an organism, causes the body to produce a huge explosion. Its strength is determined by the amount of catalyst in the reagent and how many people there are per the range of the immediate area: e.g. An explosion in a city would be far more effective than in a small village. The higher the amount of catalyst in an injection, the sooner the explosion is made, thus creating what Cate describes as "human time bombs". Dr. Schenker's wife was killed in the experimentation of this research.

Some time later, a second aircraft approaches and a team of paratroopers led by a man in a kilt hijack the plane in an attempt to capture Dr. Schenker.

Noticing a disturbance nearby, Archer informs the doctor to keep the cabin door locked and fights through several hijackers. When she reaches the cockpit, she discovers that the pilots of the plane have been killed. Just then, the man in the kilt ambushes her, knocking her out from behind. He tells an accompanying soldier that he spared Archer as he believes her to be a compatriot whom he bears no ill will towards, instead focusing his efforts on capturing Dr. Schenker, as well as taking anything of value.


 * At this point, the PlayStation 2 version cuts immediately to the bonus level Nine Years Ago. The PC version proceeds directly to Scene 2.

Scene 2
Now seriously damaged, Archer's plane loses altitude, prompting the mysterious man to make a hasty retreat. Archer later awakens and fights off several abandoned paratroopers. Before she can confront another paratrooper for his parachute, however, the plane abruptly breaks up and explodes. Several more henchmen are sent after her in freefall, but she is able to hold them off. She ultimately escapes by stealing the parachute from earlier, leaving the paratrooper to crash through the roof of a nearby barn.

Scene 1
"I feel it is my duty to reward open mindedness and imagination whenever the opportunity arises."


 * Dr. Otto Schenker

Paratrooper 1: "This food is terrible!"

Paratrooper 2: "The potato salad isn't bad..."

Paratrooper 1: "It's not potato salad; it's cottage cheese!" (retches)

(Entering the cockpit)

Archer: "So much for a lovely relaxing flight!"

Armstrong: (hits Archer on the back of the head) "Sleep tight lassie!"

Paratrooper: "You're not going to kill her? What if she wakes up?"

Armstrong: "Now look here you! I'm not gonna butcher a fellow countryman without a specific grudge. If she wakes up, she can fend for herself. If she dies, then she ain't really a Scot so I won't feel bad. Now, go get that Doctor fella and do a final sweep. Take anything that looks important: papers, files, whiskey, whatever."1

Paratrooper: Yes Sir!"

Scene 2
Armstrong: "Something's not right... Alright, let's go."

Pilot: "But some of our men are still aboard..."

Armstrong: "Listen to yeh, cryin' like a wee girl! They'll have to make do, won't they?"

Paratrooper: "Those bastards left us here!"

(after falling out of the plane and catching up to the paratrooper below her)

Archer: "Excuse me, do you mind if I borrow that parachute?"

Paratrooper: "Get away from me!"

(after she snatches his parachute from him) "Please be full of hay! Please be full of hay!"

#CRASH#

Trivia

 * This is the first mission not to be preceded by a briefing or training level.
 * The summary on the Mission Selection screen says that the plane is headed to Paris, rather than directly to London.
 * The player will earn an intelligence item for carefully and thoughtfully responding to Schenker, although it is not viewable in the intelligence gallery.
 * Magnus Armstrong becomes the second villain to be introduced in the game.
 * During the captain's speech, he mentions turning the "No Smoking" signs off. This re-visualizes the fact that smoking was allowed on planes until the late 1980's.
 * It is unknown whether the Head Paratrooper is the same man that always accompanies Armstrong on his missions. Similar characters make appearances later, (see A Tenuous Lead and The Indomitable Cate Archer) but they all remain nameless.
 * There are two toilet doors which cannot be opened (they are marked as "OCCUPIED"), with one of them before the first Economy class cabin (near where the player starts), and the other before the Executive level (below the cockpit at the bottom of the ladder). They do not open even when the plane is about to explode.
 * When escaping the plane, the only toilet the player could enter during the hijack is now closed, marked "OPEN". Despite what this may suggest, it cannot be opened.
 * The Hampton MPL becomes the player's standard weapon once they fall out of the plane. This is also the only time in the game that a weapon is held sideways.
 * This mission tests the player's ability to take advantage of their environment to progress, timing their reload and their accuracy at long range.
 * As the game engine does not factor in the wind speed or bullet fall, the trajectory of shots shows little, if any, deviation.
 * Failing to get off the plane in time will show it dropping out of the sky, rather than breaking up and exploding.
 * Shooting the objective in Scene 2 - the trooper with the unopened parachute - will result in Cate crashing into the barn, followed by a unique failure message.
 * The parachute scene could be a reference to the 1979 James Bond film: "Moonraker", which also features a scene in which Bond steals a parachute from Jaws after he falls out of a plane.
 * When the paratroopers in Scene 2 take enough damage, they will not die instantly or fall to their demise, but open their parachute to float. This could imply that they are more heavily armored than their counterparts in Scene 1.
 * While in freefall, a man can be witnessed strapped to his chair screaming out of the plane, plummeting helplessly. If a player were to look at the chair close enough, the man is shown to be a civilian (the crosshair will turn red if turned on). Going by the look of the chair, it is likely he was hiding in the first "OCCUPIED" toilet as it was nearer the start of the Economy class seats.
 * The planes in this Mission could be British De Havilland DH-106 Comet 4s, as the both of them have engines built into the wings and slightly lengthened fuselage. Then again, the interior would not match up with the exterior since the plane in the mission has a second floor, of which the real-life Comet has none. Also, there are more windows inside the plane than there are outside. In addition, the plane has a cabin room (with no beds), whereas the Comet does not.