It didn't take long to find Spot. He and his guys were filtering out of the alleyway where they'd left their prizes.
Spot not only offered up the names of the guys who knew where Denton lived, he helped to root them out. They were among those loitering in the square. They willingly gave up the address.
"What's the plan then?" Race asked as he, Fawkes, Jack, and Spot set off at a jog for Denton's apartment.
"That depends on if Denton will help and whether or not the Delancey's come to check on me," Jack replied.
"Don't worry about the Delanceys," Fawkes said.
Jack quirked a brow in question.
The girl jerked a thumb towards Spot who was loping alongside them, "He took care of them."
Jack was very familiar with Spot's reputation. "Took care of them how?" He asked in even tones.
"I had Mackey and the Delanceys immobilized so we had the freedom to roam tonight," Fawkes explained. "I wasn't expecting you to be so quick on your feet."
Jack grinned in response and picked up the pace.
Four bodies hurtled up the staircase of Denton's apartment building. They split up as they inspected the door numbers.
Jack halted before a door. He took a deep breath, looked at his companions, and then knocked.
Footsteps approached the door from within.
It opened an inch.
A sliver of Bryan Denton peered out at them.
The door shut, a lock was freed, and the door opened again, this time revealing all of the newspaperman. "What are you-?" Denton only got half of his question out before Jack got impatient.
Cowboy pushed into the apartment, unfolding the paper in his possession. "Did you mean what you wrote here?" Jack demanded.
By some miracle, Denton recognized his unpublished article, "I never write anything I don't mean."
"Good," Jack nodded. "We're going to need you to come with us."
"I can't-" Denton started.
Jack nodded again, like he heard the whole of Denton's argument in those two words. "You can't write about us in any of the major papes in the city. I know. You're happy to see us, but you don't want us here. I understand the feeling. Just hear me out: What if we recruited you to do a special edition?"
Denton looked equal parts hesitant and intrigued.
"See, it just so happens, I have access to a printing press," Jack grinned. "But I'm a just newsie. I only know how to hock papes, not to make them. That's where you come in. You write something and help us print it. Then us newsies will do what we know how: we'll distribute it.
"As for what to write: I've been thinking about that. We've got every newsie in the city striking and it hasn't made a difference. We know we're on strike, but no one else does because no one's printing it. Even if they were, there's no one to distribute. What if we broaden our horizons? Pulitzer's not caving because we don't have enough power. You say in this article that the city relies on child labor. That's how we'll win.
"To get recognition, we'll bring this city to a standstill. I say we recruit all the kids working all over the city. We'll get their attention with our free special edition, and in it, we'll advertise a city-wide walk-out. That way it won't just be a newspaper problem, it'll be something the whole city has to deal with. They'll have to concede-" Jack trailed off, looking at the article in his hands.
The boy didn't need to finish his argument. Denton was nodding in agreement after the first few well thought out sentences. "Let's get to that printing press," Denton said.
Jack led them back to the circulation center. He reclaimed the keys from Racetrack and used them to open the side door. Together, they crept into the basement and saw where Jack had been living.
There was a rusted old cot in the corner and a bag of Jack's belongings beside it. Everything except for Jack's things was soot and dust-covered. The rest of the room was occupied by broken and out of date equipment. In the center was a canvas-covered object of some size.
Denton peeked underneath it and grinned. He pulled off the canvas and dust billowed into the air as the printing press was revealed, "I can work with this."
He sent Spot and Racetrack to find him paper and made Fawkes and Jack look for letters so he could set the type.
When Race was successful in his paper query, Fawkes sent him topside to check on their prisoners.
This night would end poorly if Mackey or the Delanceys got free and they all got busted for unlawful entry.
Race, being clever, decided to climb out one of the half windows instead of risking detection on the creaky steps. He returned to report that all was well: the men were still gagged and bound in the shadows of the alley.
Denton had just set the type. He was preparing to roll out the first edition of the Newsies Banner.
"I was going to call it the Newsboys Banner," Denton said as he pulled the first one from the press, the ink still wet. "But that would have been a misnomer," he grinned at Fawkes.
"Thanks," she said.
"It's the least I could do. You're as much the heart and soul of this as Jack is."
That was as sentimental as they could afford to get. They had a lot of work ahead of them.
As dawn broke, the finished product was being handed out the window to many awaiting faces.
Kid Blink and Mush were among those that looked a little worse for wear. They were part of the crew that had helped out in the alley.
Everyone crawled out of the basement with the last of the papes and exited the compound. They'd divvied up the boroughs among all the newsies to maximize distribution. Fawkes and Jack agreed to split up, to cover more ground, but they had other reasons.
Denton put a hand on Jack's shoulder before they parted ways, "It was very nice of Mr. Pulitzer to let us use his printing press."
Jack grinned, "Yeah, I just hope I get to thank him for it one day."