Cleaners (Max Payne)
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"The Cleaners" is the name given to the fictional military organisation in the computer game Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. They are named after the business that serves as their front - "The Squeaky Cleaning Company".
The Cleaners are so called because they disguise themselves as legitimate crime scene cleaners. They leave no evidence of their killings: they dispose of the bodies, spilled blood, spent ammunition casings, and possibly damage inflicted in the vicinity.
Not much is known about this organization. From conversations among its members and information given, it seems to be composed of hitmen and professional mercenaries. A man named Kaufman seems to be an important figure among the Cleaners: he is mentioned several times by Cleaners, stating that Kaufman will "take care of things" or that they are awaiting word from Kaufman. Kaufman is killed by Max Payne when the Cleaners attack an apartment building where several Inner Circle members live.
The Cleaners' main form of transportation are black vans with the Squeaky Cleaning Company logo emblazoned on the side. Their vans may be reinforced, as at several points in the game they are driven through garage doors and brick walls.
Once the Cleaners are confident that they have secured the area, they remove the coveralls that serve as their disguise. They then don black outfits that resemble those of special forces commandos: black clothing, masks, body armor, ammunition belts, and other pseudo-military gear. They also apparently don radio headsets, frequently communicating with each other while patrolling or performing other jobs. This radio contact allows them to perform more organized, coordinated maneuvers when facing enemies: the commandos will attempt to surround, flank, or ambush targets.
Max eventually discovers that the Cleaners were hired by Vladimir Lem to wipe out his rivals in organized crime. Vlad had originally misled Max, telling him the Cleaners were working for Mafia boss Vinnie Gognitti. When Max and his love interest, Mona Sax, persisted in interfering with Lem's plans, he ordered the Cleaners to kill both of them. Although he had previously struck up an uneasy friendship with Max, Lem showed no reluctance in trying to personally eliminate him once unmasked as the force behind the Cleaners.
Lem led the Cleaners in an assault on the manor of senator Alfred Woden, a member of a mysterious organization called The Inner Circle who had helped Max before. They planned to kill Woden and steal a large amount of gold; although Max was unable to prevent the senator's death, he killed Lem and a large number of Cleaners. This presumably crippled the organization.
[edit] Trivia
These "Cleaners" seem to like a good joke, and often crack jokes about their victims. Some of them even seem a bit happy-go-lucky. They also make jokes about each other. In the second return to the funhouse (as Max), one of the cleaners says that he is a bit apprehensive about hunting down Payne in such a creepy place. His comrade then sarcastically says, "Ooh, they're coming for us! Help! We're doomed! Attack of the badly drawn cardboard bad-asses!"
Earlier, in the same level, two cleaners are standing next to a pile of cardboard crates, and when Max flips a switch, the pile falls, but is pulled back up again. The cleaners shout out, then jump out of the way, but realise it's a joke. When killed Max says: "Cleaners was a misnomer. They were making a mess of things."
However, once changed into their commando gears, the Cleaners are significantly more disciplined in their actions and behavior, showing their true professional nature.
