- "Vlad and Mona were on a crash course. If I'd find one, the odds were, I'd find the other."
- ―Max Payne plan to find Mona
On A Crash Course is the second chapter of Part III in Max Payne 2.
Plot[]
Now that Max knows Vladimir Lem is behind the rebellion within the Inner Circle and everything regarding the Cleaner case, he leaves Woden's manor and heads to Vodka to confront Lem. When Max arrives at the restaurant he sees three Russian mobsters watching The Adventures of Captain BaseBallBat-Boy, and then overhears them mention that Vlad has left something for Vinnie Gognitti. They spot Max and tell him to leave, to which Max refuses, and a firefight begins between them until Mike "the Cowboy" warns his soldiers over the intercom that an intruder is attacking the restaurant.
Going through the building, Payne encounters both Russian mobsters and Cleaners, working together to protect the building and each other; Max also comes across Cleaner outfits and weapons, further confirming Vlad's leadership over both factions. The detective also overhears some mobsters discussing who the intruder is, wondering whether it is the "woman" who shot their boss in the arm, Max himself, or both of them. Making his way through the former Ragna Rock stage area and down some stairs, Max discovers a group of Cleaners loading up their vans with weapons, discussing their objective to kill some "wise guys." Max takes them out and heads through another door after collecting their cache of weapons and painkillers.
Mike taunts Max as he gets closer, and when he realizes that nearly all of his men have fallen, he tells Payne to come find him in Lem's office. When Max bursts into the office, he quickly takes "the Cowboy" and his underling out, but Vlad is nowhere to be seen. Max sees a drawing of a Captain BaseBallBat-Boy suit as well as the layout of Gognitti's place on a whiteboard, and Max decides to head there in an attempt to find Vlad. Before leaving he checks the office's answering machine, and Max hears a recording of Valerie Winterson telling Vlad that she needs him, and that she is on her way to "the construction site." Winterson then goes on to say that she will carry out his wish by killing both Max and Mona, ending the message by asking if it's a crime to be happy. Feeling even worse than before, Max heads to Vinnie's place to confront Vladimir.
Characters[]
- Max Payne
- Mike (killed)
- Vladimir Lem (mentioned)
- Mona Sax (mentioned)
- Valerie Winterson (voice)
Hidden Weapons[]
- On the right side of the large room in the beginning of the chapter are two doors that face one another. One door leads to a kitchen and another to a storage room that connects to the small booth by the front entrance. In the storage room are M4 carbines, a Striker with ammo, and painkillers.
Trivia[]
- If Mike was killed during the chapter A Criminal Mastermind, he will be replaced by a Russian mobster of unknown rank.
Video[]
