In the wake of Bolans strike against Mafia headquarters in New York, the mob is experiencing its darkest hours - its member families pulling back into semi-isolated territorial groups, concerned chiefly with their own survival. There is a power vacuum, sure, and the Executioner has been carefully watching for signs of a revival, awaiting the appearance of a new strong man with national ambitions for taking command.Enter, then, "Bad Tony" Morello - strong man extraordinaire - and his Cleveland Pipeline for refueling the underworld power machine.