Unexpected Turbulence

"Unexpected Turbulence" is the fifth level and third mission in Monolith's game of the year 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 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, Cate interviews Dr Schenker about his research. The player is given the choice of whether to ease into the subject by asking him about his wife first, or "cutting straight to the chase". The former will result in a more pleasant and easygoing conversation, while the latter will result in the doctor becoming irritated. Meanwhile, a second aircraft approaches and a team of paratroopers led by Magnus Armstrong hijack the plane in an attempt to capture Dr Schenker. Noticing that something is not right, Cate decides to take action against the hijackers and tells the doctor to keep the cabin door locked. Upon reaching the cockpit, she is ambushed from behind by Armstrong and knocked unconscious. When asked why he doesn't kill her, he retorts that he won't "butcher a fellow countryman without a specific grudge". He then tells his associate to "go get that Doctor fella".

Scene 2

Having taken serious damage during the hijacking, Archer's plane continues to lose altitude, prompting Armstrong to leave it and any remaining men behind. Cate wakes up just in time and jumps out of the plane before it explodes. To her great fortune, there is a paratrooper with a parachute just below her. Even though Armstrong send out some more men to "make sure she doesn't land on her feet", she manages to obtain the parachute and land safely. (The paratrooper crashes into a barn). Armstrong flies away with the words "She's a credit to her people".

Characters

Dr. Schenker's Research

Dr. Schenker was the head of a Biological Explosives Research Team. The main project involved a chemical reagent that, when injected into a living host, causes a chemical reaction inside the body resulting in a massive explosion. The strength of the explosion depends on the amount of catalyst in the reagent and human density below ground zero: e.g. in a city the explosion would be far more effective than in a small village. The higher the amount of catalyst a living creature is infected with, the sooner it explodes, thus creating what Cate fittingly describes as "human time bombs". Dr Schenker's wife was killed during the experimentation of this research.

Trivia

If you are polite to Dr. Schenker in your conversation, he will thank you for rescuing him and apologizes for having initially doubted Cate's confidence.
The pilot of Armstrong's plane speaks with a French accent.
Magnus Armstrong now assumes his role as a villain.
On the plane a paratrooper retches after eating some cottage cheese, which was a common food served on planes.
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.
After knocking Cate out, Armstrong says that he won't kill her because "she's a fellow countryman", this is the first of three times that he spares her life in this way.
It is unknown whether the Head Paratrooper is the same man that always accompanies Armstrong on his missions. Similar characters make frequent appearances, (e.g. A Tenuous Lead and The Indomitable Cate Archer) but they all remain nameless.
Although Cate and Schenker are the only passengers that can be seen by the player during the hijack, it is implied that there were more civilians on board, as there are two toilet doors which cannot be opened (they are marked as "OCCUPIED"), one before the first Economy class cabin (near where you start), the other before Executive (below the cockpit at the bottom of the ladder). They do not open even when the plane is about to explode.
When you are escaping the plane, the only toilet you could enter during the hijack is now closed, marked "OPEN". Despite what this may suggest, it cannot be opened.
The parachute scene is 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.
While you're in freefall, a man can be witnessed strapped to his chair screaming out of the plane, plummeting helplessly. If you focus on the chair for long enough, you can see that the man is clearly a civilian (your crosshair will turn red if it's turned on). Going by the look of the chair, it is likely he was hiding in the first "OCCUPIED" toilet as it is nearer the start of the Economy class seats.
This is the first mission not to be preceded by a briefing or training level.
This is the second time that Archer fails her mission.
The Planes in this Mission could be British De Havilland DH-106 Comet 4s, due to both of them having engines built into the wings and slightly lengthened fuselage. If this were the case however, the interior wouldn't match up to the exterior due to the plane in the mission having a second floor (which the Comet doesn't.). Also, there are more windows inside the plane than there are outside. Not to mention, the Comet doesn't have cabin Rooms, which the NOLF plane has.(Note that the cabin in the beginning where Cate and Dr. Schenker are talking doesn't even have Beds!)