SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 1
- Potential Hazards
- {$two}
- Devoid of Entities
An older style part of the plane interior.
Level 262 is our portal to reality. The level is entirely controlled by one group who are trying to find a way to access the real world.
Description:
The Plane:
The plane is where you will appear when entering the level. It takes the shape of an early level, despite the fact it doesn't encompass the entirety of Level 262. It has non-euclidean geometry between rooms, and those rooms vary from ones of 1970s airliner models to ones of more modern times. They differ in appearance1, but have no important variations besides that. The room you appear in will always be one with windows2. These rooms have a door on either side, which lead to what the level's inhabitants call the "windowless rooms". Looking through the windows, the plane will seem like a normal airliner flying over a countryside, with no sign of different rooms. However, when you go through the doors you will quickly find that the level is actually infinite. The "windowless" rooms are where the stranger geometry of the level is3.
In some of the modern-themed rooms, the storage compartments may contain electronics like phones, although this is rare. They can connect to Wi-Fi, but only in these modern rooms - older rooms have no Wi-Fi signal, even if right next to a modern one.
Within the "windowless" rooms, you can occasionally find crew areas, which usually have a lot of supplies. There are kitchens, sleeping quarters, and more seating areas here. The kitchens are known to contain Almond Water, Lucky O' Milk, and some real world food items. The sleeping quarters contain about 8 beds (which are cramped, but comfortable enough), and some clocks to display the time in the level4. For unknown reasons, only analogue clocks function - digital ones always remain static.
The plane always stays at a consistent height above the land, even if flying downwards. The land moves away from the plane at the same speed as it, no matter how fast the aircraft goes. This makes attempts to explore the real world by humans impossible for now. Attempting to exit the aircraft will likely result in being stuck in the sky, as both the plane and the land will move away faster than terminal velocity. Any attempt to exit the airliner is not advised.
The Unstable State:
Whenever pointing downwards, the plane will create a Zero-G effect within Level 262. This happens without warning, but isn't usually dangerous if you are deep within the "windowless" areas.
In this state, the plane may overspeed5 and enter a phase called the "Unstable State". When this happens, you must try to exit any room with windows as quickly as possible as parts of the hull may be ripped off. Due to air pressure changes this will pull you out into the sky, which is fatal. This does not affect rooms without windows, and the damaged sections take a few hours to a few days of not being observed by people to regenerate. After regeneration, the part of the airplane usually reappears as a different model.
Image taken by a drone during an exploration of the surface. The drone lost contact shortly afterwards.
The Stewards and their exploration attempts:
Rather than having the level controlled by or divided between the major groups of the Backrooms, Level 262 is controlled by just one: the Stewards.
The Stewards have existed for longer than many other groups, dating back to 1984. The group consists of a few hundred people who are located deep within the "windowless" areas of the plane. They wear uniforms similar to those of actual airline staff, which they obtain from the crew cabins. Their compartments6 are located in an area positioned between numerous crew areas, all of which contain kitchens.
The group maintains a capable security force despite the fact they aren't spread across multiple levels like most others. They do this by securing control of most of the kitchens in the explored areas of the plane and trading the resources from them for weapons and tech. They then use these weapons to ward off any others who try and compete for control, meaning they keep control over that trade.
The Stewards are continually attempting to reach the real world by sending drones out of the plane whenever an opening is created by the damage from overspeed. They have released some info from the first few explorations which can be found below.
A view from the plane's window overlooking the land.
The surface is usually a countryside area, with houses scattered about in some places. There are natural features expected to be found in the real world such as rivers, lakes, and hills. No fauna or entities have been spotted outside of the houses.
Entrances And Exits:
Entrances
Level 262 can be entered via a door that appears in plane-themed areas. The door looks like an airliner door. The most common area where these appear is Level 36, where it appears anywhere. Several other levels have been seen with these doors, but it's much rarer in them.
Exits:
Occasionally, a door with identical appearance to those leading to the "windowless" parts of the plane can be found. These doors show a different level through their windows. They can lead to Level 36, Level 11, Level 17, and similar levels. You can also return to reality by escaping the plane to the land below.