Requiem for a Spy

"Requiem for a Spy" is the third level of the critically acclaimed video game The Operative: No One Lives Forever. It consists of only one scene and is a training level that prepares the player for the next mission.

Briefing
''Needless to say, the Morocco assignment was an unmitigated disaster. Report to the war room for debriefing.''

And try to control your temper.

Synopsis
Cate Archer reports to the briefing room where Mr. Smith expresses his irritation at the fact that Ambassador Monroe is dead and that UNITY has lost yet another operative (Bruno Lawrie). He blames the ill-fated mission on the fact that they sent a woman into the field, adding that Lawrie was too old for active duty even before his demise.

The player is given a choice on how to respond to Smithy:


 * Responding angrily will prompt Smithy to scold them for threatening an administrative executive.
 * Explaining the situation, in contrast, is more honest and respectful, and earns the player an (unviewable) intelligence item.

Smithy claims that the traitor was probably Lawrie himself, suggesting that he may have done it out of spite in lieu of his upcoming resignation. He claims that Volkov killed him either to ensure their secrecy or because he could not accept Bruno's favors for him. Archer firmly disbelieves the accusation, while Mr. Jones thinks Lawrie's memory should be held in high regard until he is proven guilty.

As there are still no other agents available, Archer is given another assignment (however reluctantly) which she must now accomplish on her own. She is being sent to East Berlin to facilitate the escape of Dr. Schenker, an East German Biophysicist who wishes to defect to the West. Dr. Schenker is working on a secret bio-weapons program for the Soviets and has promised to provide UNITY with valuable information pertaining to his research in exchange for his freedom. Smithy claims that this mission can hardly turn out as bad as Morocco, but he is not hopeful.

Before heading to the training facility, Cate pays a brief visit to Lawrie's grave and tearfully leaves a flower on it.

Memorable quotes
Mr. Smith "Every man has his price. Every woman too, I expect. When a man reaches the end of his career, it's only natural that he begins to worry about the future. I suppose some men of adaptable moral constitution even find it in themselves to resort to treason." Archer "What's your price, Mr. Smith?" Mr. Smith "What are you insinuating?" Archer "Merely that if Bruno were capable of treason, then so are we all."

Trivia

 * This is the first time that Cate reports to the briefing room on her own without any other operatives present.
 * The thug from the previous mission is implied, although not stated, to be alive and in UNITY's custody, regardless of whether or not the player interrogated him.
 * East Berlin was the capital of the so-called "German Democratic Republic" (or simply East Germany), an Eastern Bloc state that was founded in 1949 and dissolved in 1990 following the Reunification of Germany. It consisted of the German territories occupied by the Soviet Army at the end of World War II and practically functioned as a satellite state of the Soviet Union. The city of Berlin was divided into East and West and in order to curb the mass immigration of people into the West, the Berlin Wall was erected all around the western half of the city in 1961 so as to prevent the East Germans from getting in (and not the West Germans from getting out as is sometimes mistakenly believed). East and West Germany were divided by the Inner German Border which consisted of steel, concrete and very strict border controls.
 * Dr. Schenker's desire to defect into the West is a plausible scenario and not an uncommon occurrence throughout the Cold War, during which many attempts were made by East Germans to escape into the "free" West. Successful attempts were few in number and unsuccessful ones resulted in being shot on sight or long prison-sentences if falling under suspicion or being implicated in assisting others to escape.
 * Mr. Jones remarks that if this mission is a success, they'll "have struck a mighty blow to the Soviets" thereby making a strong reference to the ongoing Cold War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, during which the game is set. The Cold War is especially remembered for its use of espionage on both sides which has served as the backdrop for many acclaimed works in literature, television and film (some notable examples include: the James Bond franchise, 'Get Smart', 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' and 'The Spy who came in from the Cold')
 * The cemetery which holds Bruno's grave, is seen for the first and last time until the mission: Such Is the Nature of Revenge.
 * The Spy-Glasses, cigarette lighter and red lipstick explosive are introduced and can now be equipped at the beginning of each mission.