In order to combat the growing crimewave in Metro City, the Viper Project was born. This involved the development of the Defender, a car that could transform from a sports car into an armoured crime-fighting machine.
One problem remained, and that was to find the right driver. With the failure of regular drivers to cope, they turned to Michael Payton, one of the top criminal getaway drivers.
With his memory erased, and sporting the new identity of Joe Astor, he now comes up against the very people he used to work with.