Plans for the Night
In the police bathroom, Logan quickly got out of his normal clothes then slipped them into the backpack that Connor had and changed into a Bloodhound. He knew that elephants were considered the best tracking animals in the world, but he didn't want to create a scene for the circus. Just allegations of wrongdoing could be disastrous. So, Logan went with the number one tracker of the canine world.
Naturally, as soon as he and Connor left the bathroom they walked directly into a cop. "Hey, you can't have your dog out in public without a leash!"
Walking up behind the officer, Diana responded, "Sorry officer he slipped out of his leash, I have it right here."
Also naturally, she was holding her lasso of truth out. Logan really hoped all the jokes about it were false. Surely she would have to channel some energy into it to make it force him to answer questions. As Diana slipped the lasso on him all Logan could think was {Collared by a woman that I haven't even slept with, how humiliating.}.
Diana, {I heard that!}
Logan, {Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.}
Connor spoke up ending the awkward staring contest between dog and princess, "Now I know why you kept the napkin. You will follow her scent back to where you think she was being kept."
Logan barked in the affirmative and started to head back to the circus.
When they got back to the circus, the three stopped just outside the animal area, and Logan turned to Diane waiting for her to take out the napkin.
After taking a whiff, Logan followed Tammy's scent to a warehouse about 4 blocks away, Logan then asked Morph to cover him enough to not embarrass his teammates. Shifting back, Logan asked, "You guys see anything? This is where Tammy's scent leads me."
Diana returned her lasso to her belt and said, "I hear voices of children and a few adults but not enough to make out everything."
Connor said, "I hear a woman talking about losing Tammy but there should be enough to fill the contract anyway. Now a man with a weird voice is saying that they should kill the kids and plant them early, but another man says no immediately." We all tensed up when they talked about killing the kids. But relaxed a little knowing at least someone had a conscience.
"You guys wait here a minute I'm going to sneak in and see if I can get into someone's mind and see what's going on. I don't want to rush into anything."
Taking the shape of an owl, Logan started to wing it to the roof of the warehouse. Once he got up high enough, Logan saw that there was only one man up there and he was able to evade him easily. Flying through a broken skylight he found a comfortable, out-of-sight place to perch and start looking the inside of the warehouse over.
Logan saw the guy who talked like a heavy smoker who had followed them as they took Tammy to the Police station. He was about 6ft 6in and had a beefy upper body. Logan would guess him at 260 lbs., the only weird thing was that he moved rather stiffly, like he had sore muscles.
Standing next to him was a woman whose voice Logan recognized as the big guy's partner in following them earlier. She had mousy blond hair and was an average height of 5ft 7in. Looking around more he could see 4 guys patrolling and another one talking to the duo.
One of the patrollers had stopped to light a cigarette and Logan slowly dipped into his mind. His name was Jake Owen and he worked with Intergang. He was here to work a contract that had been taken out to cause trouble for the Haly's Circus. His boss decided to kidnap some kids and pin it on the Circus. With all the ruckus aroused by some movie about trafficking kids, it should cause a big issue for the Circus. They even grabbed a judge's kid that had been harsh on one of their members and it was a sign of things that happened to those that weren't nice to Intergang. No slipping out of a long and painful investigation with all that added together. Even if they were later proven innocent, the headlines would destroy the name of the Circus before their innocence could be proven.
[Wow, someone put some thought into messing with Dicks childhood home.]
Trying to plot out a way to get to the kids before any fighting took place, Logan heard the one Jake called Cris yell out.
"The boss should be here any minute with a couple more kids. Jake, I need you or Sammy to stay in the room with the kids. Until we figure out how the one girl got out, they stay under our constant supervision."
These guys were smart and paranoid. They put the Gotham regulars to shame with their planning. Logan kept wracking his brain on how to get the kids out, but he was coming up blank. Logan headed back out to Connor and Diana to see if they had any good ideas.
After explaining everything he saw to them. They collectively came up with a plan for Logan to get into the room with the kids and deal with the one guard, then get the kids out of a hole in the wall he would create. At the same time, Connor and Diana would make a distraction by attacking the opposite side of the warehouse.
"I think we need one more person, someone that can get the kids away during the fight. That way I can join you guys after they are gone just in case. We need to wait for the boss and the kids he is bringing anyway. Stay out of sight until I get back."
Logan quickly flew back to the Circus and looked for Dick but when he reached out with his mind, he don't feel him. As Logan was looking around, he spotted Cali in her costume and saw her leading Liz and Chester back to their rest area. Logan quickly flew to a cage near her and shifted back to his body but then I realized all he had to wear was Morph for clothes.
[Hope she is understanding.] "Hey Cali, don't panic but I need your help."
"When someone says don't panic it usually means that there is a reason to panic coming along."
"Look I am not trying to streak you or anything but all I got on is some skimpy shorts, I didn't want you to think I was flashing you."
When he stepped out, Liz saw him and trotted over for some attention. While dealing with that, Logan explained to Cali what was going on with the group of kidnapped children.
Surprisingly she took it in stride, "There is a small bus here I can take and meet you outside the building. If you can get the kids to me, I will load them up and get them to the nearest Police building."
"Ok, park a couple blocks away and I'll call when you should get to the spot I can break them out. I will need your number though."
"Is that what this is really all about? Rescuing kids to impress me and get my number?"
Logan could tell she was being playful, so he replied, "Well I'm sure every guy you meet in every town thinks they are the best thing you have ever seen. So, I figure I need to step up my game to have a chance. Rescuing kids together should make a good impact"
She laughed and told him her number and Logan told her to be in place in no more than 15 minutes and he will tell her when to move in.
Logan moved back out of sight, changed into an owl, and headed back to Diana and Connor. Logan wasn't intentionally hiding his powers from Cali, but he didn't want to advertise them either. His skin color stood out and if a certain acrobatic vigilante in Gotham was seen with him it wouldn't be hard to connect Dick to the mask.
When he got back to Diana and Connor Logan said, "I got Cali to show up with a bus to get the kids out fast and safe. Anything happen here?
"There was a car that came, it had the driver a passenger and two kids tied up and asleep in the back."Connor told him.
"That should be the boss they were waiting for. If you guys are good, we can stop this with everyone present."
Diana spoke with passion, "I will not turn from a child in need."
"I would love a reason to hit something really hard, I just hope there is someone here who can take it." Was Connor's reply.
"OK I will tell Diana when I am in the room with the kids, then you two tear it up. Just be careful and look out for each other. And remember, once the kids are out and safe, we don't have to stick around."
Logan called Cali and told her to start moving.