With its New York headquarters eviscerated by the Executioner, the Mafia is experiencing its darkest hour. Member families are pulling back into semi-isolated territorial groups. There is a power vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum. Mack Bolan has been carefully watching for signs of a revival, for the appearance of a new strong man with national ambitions.From the declining city of Cleveland comes "Bad Tony" Morello, installing a pipeline for refueling the underworld power machine.