City Commissioner Strand is desperate to get the Viper on the road. He plans on using the Viper's crime-fighting abilities to bolster support for his campaign to become mayor.
After stealing a satellite, Michael Payton flips his black Dodge Stealth in a spectacular crash. Strand hears about the accident and has Payton pronounced dead at the scene. Payton is the best getaway driver the Outfit had.
Commissoner Strand orders that Payton's memory be erased and his appearance altered. When Payton awakes, he is told that he is a police officer named Joesph Payne Astor.
