Hitman: Blood Money/Curtains Down

Present Day
Henderson remains skeptical about the newsworthiness of "a couple of wine guys getting whacked". Cayne, however, reveals that their killer was none other than the mythical bald killer clone, Mr. 47 himself. He elaborates with a tale of an incident at the Paris Opera.

March 17th, 2004
47 has arrived in Paris for a routine hit. Little does he know that the law is watching his every move.

Targets: Richard Delahunt, Alvardo d'Alvade
Delahunt is the US Ambassador to the Vatican. Heavily involved in child prostitution, he now spends nearly every waking moment with his sole trusted friend, the star of the opera's new production of Tosca.

Nailer
Carried by some workers. Short range and pitiful damage make it hardly worth your while to go look for one.

Hammer
Carried by some workers. A fine melee weapon with a brutal sneak attack.

MP5 sub-machine gun
Delahunt's bodyguards use this weapon. Not really worth the risk of trying to get away with taking out a bodyguard.

SLP .40 caliber pistol
As above, but carried by the opera rentacops. Much easier to obtain in the first two missions.

WWI Mauser pistol
Broomhandled Mauser C96, identical to the prop pistol used in the opera. Cool weapon, but does not store at your hideout, even if you store it in the ICA Drop Box or end the mission with it.

Tips

 * Delahunt won't leave his box unless some horrible misfortune befalls Alvardo while he's looking, at which point he will run up the aisle to the stage and stay there. This means you will probably need to set up a suitable accident for Delahunt before you take out Alvardo.
 * Patience is key to success in the theater, which is to say this mission requires lots of waiting around.
 * Right at the start you should talk to the coat-check guy to get the 'live' Mauser pistol, which can be swapped for the prop later on. If you're in a nonconformist mood there are several other ways to get rid of Alvardo, but swapping the guns is probably the easiest and quietest, if not the quickest.
 * There's an extraneous locked room backstage on the second floor. It's just part of an easter egg and there's nothing useful inside anyway so you need not worry about it your first time through. Hint: The rats know the way.
 * Instead of planting the mine on the chandelier, you can place it on the lighting rig above the stage to kill either Delahunt or Alvardo. Make sure you aren't spotted by any workers while placing the mine.
 * You can quickly end the performance by throwing a coin onto the stage from the catwalk above. This can save time, as the performances can take quite a while.

Needed Equipment
A single sedative syringe and the RU-AP mine. Both are part of your standard loadout.

Insertion

 * Talk to the coat check guy to get the Mauser pistol. Don't skip the scene, otherwise you'll have to wait around for two workers to show up to your right.
 * Head into the bathroom and hide in one of the stalls. In a moment, one of the workers will come inside; sedate, denude, and hide in the nearby bin.
 * Walk down the stairs on the other side of the coat-check room. Go left into a large room and right to a locked door. Surreptitiously pick the door and slip through into the corridor. In the next corridor, go through the door on the right wall to reach the dressing room area.

Set Maintenance

 * Enter the big double doors behind the stage. Climb the stairs all the way to the catwalks.
 * Go through the door to reach the winch for the chandelier in the theater below. Place a RU-AP mine on the winch. You may want to sedate the nearby worker and drag him out of harm's way, since he will be killed if he's in this room when you blow the mine. As stated above, you can also plant the bomb on the middle light display in the previous room with the catwalks.
 * Go back down the stairs to the dressing rooms.

Prop Placement

 * When the bodyguard isn't looking, sneak into the executioner's dressing room (conveniently marked with a silver star) and hide in the closet.
 * After the opera ends, the actor will come in here, practice firing the gun, become frustrated with his inability to convincingly fake the recoil, and head to the bathroom, leaving behind his prop pistol. That's your cue. As soon as he's out the door, get out of the closet, take the prop and put the real weapon down in its place.
 * Holster the fake gun and leave the room.

Places, Everyone

 * This section must be done very quickly. Take the stairs up from the dressing rooms (near the stairs down that you came up when you first got here) to the second floor. Run down the hall into the security office, swipe the key to the light booth on the desk to your left, and high-tail it all the way back to the lobby.
 * Locate your suit in the bathroom and change back into it.
 * Go up to the third floor of the lobby. Stand in front of the locked door in the middle of this floor and sneak inside when neither guard is passing by.
 * Alternatively, you can stay dressed as a worker, and go to the chandelier winch, climb down the ladder and go to the hole in the ceiling of the opera house then stand on the scaffolding there. Just make sure the patrolling guard doesn't see you trigger the bomb.

Showtime

 * At the climax of the scene being rehearsed, the executioner will shoot and kill Alvardo. Since this is part of the play, no one will notice that Alvardo is dead until he fails to arise for notes.
 * Delahunt will run out of his box, through the lobby, and down the aisle to the stage; halfway there, he will trip and fall directly under the chandelier. Quickly blow the bomb and the chandelier will fall, crushing Delahunt.
 * You can also kill Delahunt by placing the bomb on the light fixture above the stage. When Delahunt is onstage mourning for Alvardo, you can blow the bomb causing the light fixture to fall, crushing Delahunt. This may require the use of the long-range detonator, or you will have to be in a different position, closer to the bomb, but still on the upper balcony. There is a perfect vantage point for either method, down a ladder near the winch for the chandelier. Either method will work, but the second method doesn't require the timing the first one does, as Delahunt will be exactly where you need him to be.
 * Note: Whichever method you choose, there is a possibility that one or two of Delahunt's guards may be killed along with him when the chandelier or light fixture falls.

Exit Upstage

 * While everyone is running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out what just happened, calmly stride out the front door. Mission complete!

Alternatives

 * This is another mission where you can use your sniper rifle. After you set up your "accident" with the pistol, do not plant the bomb on the chandelier, instead, go to the stairway next to the stage entrance on the right and head up the stairway and enter the double doors at the end of the small hallway, and take the light control card. Head up to the 3rd floor and assemble your rifle. When Alvaro gets shot by the executioner, wait until Delahunt gets onstage to mourn his friend, and take him out. By now the guards will be looking for a sniper so drop the gun, and get out of there! When a guard finds the gun he will take it back to the guard station and place it on the floor. Wait until he leaves, then go in and place your rifle back in the case, go back to where you left your suit, put it on, and escape.


 * Note: There is a different way to do this, don't swap the WWI Pistol and place the bomb on the chandelier. Wait for the climax of the opera scene and shoot Alvardo at the same time he is "shot" by his co-star, then detonate the bomb on the chandelier to kill Delahunt when he trips on the carpet, and escape. If you time it correctly, the guards will not be looking for a shooter.


 * Another way to kill Alvaro is hide yourself in his co-star's room, wait for him to come in, kill him and take his costume. When you hear a bell ring go on stage as the executioner (who, as no one seems to notice after hours of rehearsal, now has a completely different face). Wait for the music cue for the shot (the singer's high pitched note; you'll probably recognise it if you play the level a few times) and shoot Alvaro. No one will pay any attention and you've just got away with murder in plain sight. This may not be the most professional or efficient way to complete this task, but it's definitely the most satisfying. Just make sure you don't hang around on stage too long.