WGNY-TV news anchorman, Bill Morgan, reports on the Freedom Fighters daring prison break-out of the Doll Man. The media speculate on the possibility that the Black Condor has adopted a new masked identity, that of the Firebrand. The Black Condor rams Martha Roberts' van. The Black Condor overturns the van. The Ray burns an opening in the van's roof. Uncle Sam attacks the Black Condor. The Black Condor retaliates. The Human Bomb unleashes the full power of his explosive force on the Black Condor. The Black Condor, completely unaffected, slams the Human Bomb into the van, knocking him unconscious.
The Doll Man, the Firebrand, the Ray, and Uncle Sam charge the Black Condor. The Ray's heat blasts fail to bring the Black Condor down. The Firebrand, and Uncle Sam double team the Black Condor. The Ray throws the Doll Man at the Black Condor's head. Roberts beats on the Black Condor, pleading with him to stop his attack on his friends. The Black Condor grabs Roberts, and the Phantom Lady, then takes to the sky. The Phantom Lady turns immaterial, only to find that the Black Condor still has a hold of her. The Phantom Lady reflects on the Black Condor's origin. His father, Richard Grey, led an expedition in Outer Mongolia. Mongul warriors butchered Grey, and his wife.
Grey's infant son was, inexplicably, adopted and raised by condors. By watching the movements of the condors the child, impossibly, learned to fly. Father Pierre, a hermit, dubbed the child "The Black Condor". Pierre, too, was slain by monguls. Pierre's dying wish was for the Black Condor to use his power of flight to fight injustice. The Black Condor assumed the identity of Senator Thomas Wright, who had been murdered by crooked politicians. The Freedom Fighters recover. The Human Bomb voices his dismay over the team allowing the Black Condor to abduct the Phantom Lady. The Doll Man suspects that the Black Condor is returning to Rutland, Vermont.
The Freedom Fighters had recently come into conflict with the demon, Homilus, in Rutland. It was after that conflict that the Black Condor began developing telepathic powers, the use of which drove him to madness. The Freedom Fighters confront the Black Condor. All save the Firebrand, and Roberts, are struck by lightning. The Freedom Fighters are transformed into monstrous berserkers. The Freedom Fighters surround, and assault, Roberts. The Firebrand, cowardly, flees. Roberts pleads with the Firebrand to aid her. Reluctantly, the Firebrand attacks Uncle Sam, then both the Human Bomb, and the Doll Man.
The Firebrand tears loose high tension electrical wires, then uses them to trick the Ray into absorbing the electrical charges from the Freedom Fighters. The Freedom Fighters, save for the Ray, are restored to normalcy. The Human Bomb strikes the Ray, with the full force of his explosive fury, causing the Ray to release all the pent-up electrical energy the Ray has absorbed. The Ray is restored to normalcy. The Black Condor reveals that he has been a pawn of Homilus for the past several weeks. Tom Fagan meets with the Freedom Fighters. A mysterious figure takes strong interest in the revelation that the Firebrand has joined the Freedom Fighters.
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