The Phantom Stranger #40

In The Kingdom Of The Blind

The Phantom Stranger teases the tale about to unfold. The Phantom Stranger, with Deadman, appears outside Sanders School For the Blind. Cassandra Craft, with Adam Shapiro, emerges from the school. The Phantom Stranger disappears. Deadman takes possession of a passerby to follow Craft, and Shapiro. Doctor Nathan Seine struggles with his blindness, a curse bestowed upon him by the Phantom Stranger. Seine refuses to learn braille, and proves a difficult student to teach. Using the Ebontome, Seine conjures forth a horrific creature, that feeds on mystic and psychic energies.

Said energies are to be transferred into Seine, once the creature has collected them. Seine sends the creature out into the world. The creature attacks a fortune teller, draining the mystic energy from her body. The creature next seizes Craft. Drawn to Craft's peril, the Phantom Stranger attacks the creature. The Phantom Stranger's strong emotional attachment to Craft leaves him vulnerable. The creature overwhelms the Phantom Stranger, and carries them back to Seine. Deadman abandons his vessel to pursue to the creature. Deadman scours the city for another person with psychic abilities.

Deadman possesses a man with psychic powers, then attacks the creature. The creature abandons Craft, and the Phantom Stranger, and comes for Deadman's vessel. The Phantom Stranger quickly recovers. Deadman uses his acrobatic acumen to keep his vessel away from the creature. The Phantom Stranger invites Deadman to join him on a high tension line. The creature pounces on them, and is destroyed by the high voltage, flowing through the line. Craft recovers with no memory of the incident. Seine, realizing that the Phantom Stranger cares for Craft, plots his revenge.

The Black Orchid Conspiracy

Heiress Ronnie Kuhn is the newest member inducted into the Legion of the Black Orchid. Unbeknownst to Kuhn, the Legion of the Black Orchid are not the heroes she thinks they are. The Legion of the Black Orchid intends to use Kuhn, as a pawn, to rob the World Bank. Kuhn is the daughter of the World Bank's president. Kuhn is contacted by the Legion of the Black Orchid. Kuhn is ushered into the Legion of the Black Orchid's situation room, where she is given her first assignment, as well as her Black Orchid costume.

In order to "thwart a robbery of the World Bank", Kuhn is asked to deliver blueprints of the World Bank's security network. With the schematics in hand, the Legion Of the Black Orchid perfect their scheme. The Legion of the Black Orchid steals inside the World Bank. Kuhn is subdued, then tied to the vault door. The Legion of the Black Orchid start the countdown on an explosive. One that will blow the vault door open, and eliminate Kuhn.