Ocean's 1

Little Danny ran through the alleys, a smile on his lips. He listened to the shouts of the cops and the irate screaming of the shop-owner. He hefted the case of jewelry under his arm and tried to run faster. His little legs churned quickly, trying to outrun the voices. He could hear them. They seemed to be getting closer. The smile on his face disappeared. He ducked behind a dumpster and panted. Footsteps echoed down the ally. Sounded like just one. He pressed back, trying to make himself invisible. He remembered when he was younger. He believed that if he couldn't see his pursuer, they didn't exist. He found out quickly, that wasn't true. However, this seemed a time to close his eyes. They smushed together, blocking out the dim light of the alley. He heard the footsteps thunder past, leaden with the weight of a belt, filled with a holster, radio, pepper spray, and handcuffs. As they advanced down the alley, Danny opened his eyes. The form of the policeman vanished into the gloom. Danny stood up, readjusted the case of rings, and took off in the opposite direction. He had gone not ten feet, when he heard the footsteps again, reinvigorated with the scent of the hunt.

"Hey you! Hey kid! Stop!"

Danny didn't look back. He just kept running. He got to the end of the alley and rounded the corner. He turned right and stopped immediately. There sat a cruiser, its back to Danny. He spun on his loafers and took off down the street. One of the cops saw him and gave chase. Danny looked back just once, to see the other cop emerge from the alley and join the second cop. Two of them. Danny was young, full of vigor and endurance. But he had been running almost nonstop for about ten minutes now, and he was getting tired. The rings also slowed him down. He considered dropping them, but he figured if he was going to be caught, it should be graciously, with the goods firmly in his hands. He put on a burst of speed and rounded a corner, only to be stopped immediately by a man in a blue suit. He twirled and saw the other two men gaining fast. Danny felt a hand grip the back of his T-shirt. He dropped the case of jewelry and raised his hands. The other two cops stop short of them, gasping for breath. Dang it. Another hundred yards and they would have both dropped.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will…"

"Hey come on Reuben. You don't have to be that rough on the kid."

"Who's being rough? I'm just reading him his rights."

"It's a kid. Go easy."

"I've got one other kid in my possession right now, awaiting trial. This one can keep him company."

Danny didn't like the way this conversation was headed. One of the cops picked up the case and opened it, making sure it was full of the expensive diamonds. The other cop started walking back the way they had come, pulling his keys to the car out.

"Anything you say, can and will be held against in a court of law."

Danny looked up into the face of the officer that was holding him. The man was tall, almost six feet. He had brown hair and large glasses, making his face seem small. When he smiled at him, Danny felt a chill going up his spine. He didn't like this guy.

"What's your name kid?"

Danny smirked at the man first, soliciting a frown from four-eyes. The siren of the cop cruiser started up and sounded like it was coming this way. He was going to jail. What did he have to lose?

He looked back into the man's face, smiling stupidly at him.

"Daniel Ocean. You can call me Danny."

Danny sat glumly in the dark cell, studying the various graffiti written on the walls. Grownups really had a warped sense of humor. The writing was done with a variety of tools, pencil, pen, marker, urine. It was actually quite imaginative, mostly. The content was a bit low class and the spelling and grammar were atrocious. It would be something his two year old cousin would be proud of. But not to one of his age.

He sat up, fished in his pocket and pulled out a ball-point pen. He stood on the cot and reached up as high as he could. He scrawled in the highest corner, using words he had only heard before. Basically, the message cursed the sexual preference of all the men that would ever fill the cell.

He heard footsteps and dropped back onto the cot. He shoved the pen under the paper thin pillow and closed his eyes. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be hurt here. He actually pretty sure that no one would be sharing the room with him. Who would put some criminal in the same cell as a fourteen year old boy?

He found out he was wrong when he heard the door squeak. His eyes fluttered for a second, but otherwise, he didn't move. He had to work on that. He lay motionless as the door clung shut and the heavy footsteps receded down the corridor. Danny did not move, daring the other guy to do something. But really, what could happen in a jail cell, surrounded by cops and cameras. Hurt? Not likely. Killed? No way. Mugged? What did he have? Raped? Well…

His mind snapped out of his thoughts as he felt the cot overturn, flipping him on the floor. He landed with a thud, cracking his heels against the concrete wall. He rolled over and stood up swiftly, ready to take any punishment that was coming. He stood straight and glanced up in the air at his opponents face.

But there was no one there. He glanced down and was surprised to see a face at his level. He took a step backwards, sure that he had been housed with some midget. Not true. This kid looked not much older than him. Actually, he looked considerably younger. Danny smiled. Look at this wuss! He could tear the kid apart!

"Hi. I'm Danny Ocean."

"Rusty Ryan. Whatcha in for?"

The kid talked tough. Danny decided not to tell him at the moment. Show him who's boss.

"How old are you?"

"Eight. Wat's it to ya?"

Danny stepped forward, his small chest puffed out. He was at least a head taller than this kid. He grinned at the boy.

"Just wanna know who I have to be smelling for the next couple days."

Danny suddenly found himself lying on the concrete floor. It took a second, then the pain shot to his head. He felt pressure there too. It was a shoe! The kid had taken him out! Him, Daniel Ocean, leader of his own gang! A little snotnosed kid had taken him out! He tried to raise his head, but found he couldn't. The pressure was too great. He reached up with his hand and pushed hard. He felt the pressure recede and a thump of the kid's body hitting the floor made him smile. He leaped up, holding his head. He had just registered the feeling of wetness on his hand, when the kid swept his legs against Danny's own, knocking him down again. This time, Danny was a little more prepared, putting his arm out and cushioning his fall somewhat. The little kid leapt on top of him and pinned his hands behind his back. Danny was fast, but he had to admit, he needed to gain some muscle. Danny lay there for a few seconds, the kid on his back, blood dripping down his cheek. Then the pressure let off and Danny sat up, his hand going to his head. He didn't look at the kid. He pulled hi hand away, staring at the blood. This meant revenge. He was about to leap up and attack the creep, when a cloth was pressed in his hand. He looked up and saw the boy bare chested. Danny held his shirt.

"Thanks."

He pressed the shirt against his head, stanching the flow.

"Don't worry about it. I didn't mean to hurt you. Just had to show what I was made of. Don't try to push me around."

"Don't worry Rusty. I won't."

Rusty sat on the other cot and watched as Danny mopped up the blood. When he was done, Danny through the shirt back to Rusty. Rusty caught it and placed it on the floor under the bed.

"So, what are ya in for?"

"I held up a jewelry store. Almost got away with a couple thousand in diamonds."

"Wow. That's pretty good pay for a kid."

"Yeah."

"How'd ya do it?"

"Got a gun from an old lady. A can of mace from my pops stash. Then headed on over. I actually didn't even have to use the gun. I told the guy I needed to look at rings for my mother. When the case was out, I maced the guy and took off. He must have had an alarm." Danny paused and touched his head gingerly. "So, what did you do?"

"I kicked the cop in the balls. You know Tishkoff. He's the guy that brought you in. He's had it in for me ever since I looked in on his wife showering. Wow. Anyways, I've never done any big crimes."

"You know Rusty, I think we're going to work out fine together. We could learn things from each other."

"Hey. I'll teach you to fight, if you teach me to knock off banks."

"How bout you just hit a casino."

They laughed. They both knew casinos were impossible to knock off. Danny stood and shook the hand of his new friend, Rusty Ryan.

Danny walked slowly through the hall, his handcuffs clinking. He shifted his hands and made them clatter, echoing through the taupe colored corridor. He passed the cell that housed Rusty and he glanced over. Rusty was not looking at him. Good. Danny clanked the cuffs again. Rusty's leg moved, ever so slightly. Perfect. Danny focused his attention on the door ahead.

Tishkoff moved ahead of Danny and reached for the number pad. Danny looked away as Tishkoff glanced at him, making sure the boy was not watching. But Danny looked back when Tishkoff began to punch in the code. 4-9-2-2-2-3-4. Perfect. Danny glanced at his toes as Tishkoff turned and grabbed Danny's arm. That made the handcuffs rattle. Danny held his breath. Tishkoff pulled Danny through the door. Danny held his breath. The door began to swing shut. Danny let out the breath, only to start breathing heavily. Something was wrong. Where was…?

A scream. Tishkoff held up a hand and pushed the door back open. He glanced down the hall. Another scream. Tishkoff pulled Danny back into the hallway, jerking him along. They both stumbled up to the doorway to Rusty's cell. Rusty was writhing on the floor, holding his chest. Red liquid was splashed about.

"My God!" Tishkoff swore. He grabbed his keys and jammed them into the keyhole. Danny reached out and swiped the man's radio, just as Tishkoff went for it. Tishkoff hadn't seen Danny. He fumbled around, searching for it. Rusty continued to scream. Danny was getting worried. Something was wrong.

Tishkoff turned the key in the hole and pushed the door in. He rushed to Rusty's side and grabbed the boy, shaking him.

"What's wrong?! What's wrong?!"

Rusty's response was a foot in the groin. Tishkoff swore and fell back, clutching the sore spot. Rusty stood up, winked at Danny and kicked Tishkoff again. Tishkoff let out with a vile stream of foul language, cursing the world, God, and every mother alive. Rusty reached down and grabbed the man's keys. He reached over and unhooked the handcuffs that hung around Danny's hands. They fell to the floor. Danny pulled Rusty out of the cell and the door clanged shut. Another guard would be by in ten minutes.

"Come on!"

Danny rushed down the hall toward the door he had just come through. He handed the radio to Rusty and punched in the number on the keypad. 4-9-2-2-2-3-4. The door opened and Danny pulled his friend through. The door started swinging shut. Danny looked down.

"Where's the radio?"

"I dropped it. We don't need it."

Danny swore and pulled the door open, just as it was about to shut. He grabbed the radio and let the door close. He turned it on and voices were heard. None were hectic yet though. Good. They didn't know. He grabbed Rusty's arm and pulled him down the hall.

They ran down the hall, passing windows that housed the women. Most of them just stared, but there were a few who were quite lewd. They couldn't hear them, but the images would remain. Danny reached the next door and pulled out a fork from his pocket. He jammed it into the locking mechanism and the computer shorted out. He swung the door open.

There stood four guards, all drinking coffee. They weren't expected, because three of them dropped their cups, going for their guns. The other one ran off in the opposite direction, reaching for his radio. Danny swung the door shut, smiling sheepishly at Rusty.

"Didn't expect this."

They took off again, back the way they had come. Rusty waved at the women. Danny reached the door and punched in the key code. 4-9-2-2-2-3-4. The door swung open. Danny heard the other door open at the same time. He pulled Rusty through, just as the three cops entered the hall. Danny let the door close. He took the fork and jammed it into the knob. As expected, the computer shut down. Danny turned the manual locking device. They ran down the hall, passing their former cell. Ah, such memories. They had reached the end of the hall and were about to turn the corner, when Danny stopped short. Rusty ran into his back.

"What's wrong?"

"Tishkoff wasn't in the cell."

Rusty had just a moment to look bewildered, before Tishkoff jumped around the corner and reached for the two boys. Danny yelled and tried to run. Rusty took a swipe at the mans face, but his hand was blocked by a night stick. Tishkoff grabbed both boys and pulled them both close. The other cops were banging on the door. Squawking could be heard on the radio. Tishkoff whispered into their ears.

"You boys have much to learn. I'll make you a deal. You stay here for a while, let me plan your getaway, and you don't tell anyone that you overpowered me. Got it?"

Danny looked over at Rusty. Rusty looked back. The door began to nudge open. Danny winked at Rusty. Rusty smiled.

"Alright. Deal."

"Good choice boys. You just started on a life of crime."

The End

Coming soon!

Ocean's 2

Introducing Turk Malloy!!

Bigger and better!!!