HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN⎪OCEANS ELEVEN

phase one

"Where are you gonna put your hands?" Iris asked Linus. Linus folded them in front of him and she shook her head.

"No good." Rusty said, sitting down next to her on the bar stool. Linus sighed exasperated and reached up to fiddle with his tie.

"Don't touch your tie." Iris told him. She looked at Rusty and they communicated with their eyes. "Look at me." She continued, "Okay, I ask you a question and you have to think of the answer, where do you look?" Iris was dressed in a long, silk, red, V-neck slip dress with black heels. Linus looked down at the ground.

"No good." She told him as she pulled her hair up so Rusty could put her diamond necklace on, "You look down, they know you're lying." Linus nodded and looked up.

"And up, they know you don't know the truth." Rusty finished for her, as she slipped down from the chair. "Don't use seven words when four will do. Don't shift your weight. Look always at your mark but don't stare."

"Be specific, but not memorable. Be funny, but don't make him laugh. He's gotta like you and then forget you the moment you've left his sight." Iris continued, she grabbed her clutch and then gave Linus a smile and a wink as well as giving Rusty a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room.

"And for god's sake, whatever you do, don't, under any circumstances-" Rusty told him.

"Russ!" Livingston called.

"Yeah?"

"Can you take a look at this?"

"Sure." Rusty replied, before leaving the room and Linus standing in the middle of the room more panicked than before.

"Saul." Iris called as she walked towards his room, she looked inside to see him sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands and eyes closed. "Saul?" She called to him once more. The man looked up and rubbing his head, breathing deeply.

"It's time." She said. Saul nodded at her and stood up, pulling his suit jacket on simultaneously. She nodded at him, smiling before leaving the room to go to her post. After pausing a minute to calm himself, the man fixed his tie in the mirror and took a deep breath. He walked away from the mirror and out his bedroom.

"Okay." He said, "Let's do it."

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Terry Benedict walked out of his hotel and straight towards Lyman Zerga, who was waiting patiently for his package to arrive. He had sent his bodyguards to pick it up for him at the airport earlier that evening and it was now making its way to the Bellagio.

"Mr. Zerga." Mr. Benedict greeted the man as he neared him.

"Mr. Benedict."

"It's a very busy night for me." Benedict stated, taking a puff of his cigar, "Are we on schedule?"

"I have no reason to suspect otherwise." Zerga replied, "My granddaughter assured me she hired the best courier, and they should be here momentarily." Virgil and Turk, dressed as private bodyguards, pulled up in front of them and left the car. Attached to Virgil's wrist was one half of a pair of black, steel handcuffs, the other side attached to the briefcase. A few words were spoken between them as the handcuffs were detached from Virgil's wrist and attached to Saul's.

Mr. Benedict and Saul made their way into the hotel and through the casino, flanked by both of their security teams. As they pass the slots, Benedict saw Danny sitting there watching him, his arm around a woman in a red dress unbeknownst to him it was Danny's sister. Danny looked down again as they continued walking and Benedict nodded at one of the members of his security detail.

"Find Mr. Walsh." Benedict said, "Tell him Mr. Ocean's in the west slots." The security guard nodded his head and left swiftly to find the casino manager. Turning towards Mr. Zerga, Benedict glanced at Turk and Virgil.

"I'm afraid I can't have any private security personnel in the casino cages. I hope you don't mind." He said as walked round a corner, towards the cages.

"No." Saul said, "Of course not." Saul dismissed both Virgil and Turk in their 'mother tongue' as a man from Saul's past, saw them and recognised him. The man called after Saul as he ignored him and kept walking. Before the man could get too close, Virgil and Turk did their 'jobs' and grabbed the patron to stop him going any further. Saul's bodyguards turned to him, waiting for instruction.

"Mikhail, Vladimir." Saul ordered with a subtle nod towards the exit. Turk and Virgil removed the drunk patron from Saul and Mr. Benedict's vicinity before he did any more damage. Mr. Benedict turned to Saul with a questioning look.

"Mr. Benedict, please." Saul said as the man was being dragged away, still calling his name, "I have never enjoyed the touch of steel to my skin." Benedict stared at Saul for a minute before putting his cigar back into his mouth and turned to walk into the casino cages.

*********************************
Saul opened the briefcase to show four egg sized emeralds. Benedict admired them for a second.

"Lift them up please." Benedict asked, as he looked at the briefcase. Saul did as he asked and he pulled the case towards him, patting down the sides of the case to check for anything that could do harm to him or any of his business.

"Alright, Mr. Zerga." Benedict said, "I acknowledge that your briefcase does not contain any dangerous or illicit material, and I further agree to take custody of said briefcase and store it in my secured vault for a period of twenty-four hours. Now, I cannot actually allow you to accompany the briefcase into the vault."

"Why not?" Saul interjected.

"Insurance for one, security for another." Benedict rattled off, "But most of all I just don't trust you." Mr. Zerga gave Benedict a steely gaze for a minute, before offering him a small, impressed smile. A knock at the door interrupted the stare off, and Mr. Walsh, the casino manager, walked in.

"Excuse me." Benedict said as he walked over to where Walsh was standing in the doorway.

"Two plainclothes on Ocean." Walsh said with a lowered tone, "He's in the keno bar now." Benedict nodded before turning to Saul and walking over to him as he introduced Walsh.

"Mr. Zerga, this is my casino manager Mr. Walsh." He said, "Now, if you will allow him, he will arrange for your briefcase to be stored inside our vault while you watch on a security monitor. Those are my terms. Yes, or no?" Saul looked between the two men for a moment.

"You leave me no choice." He said before undoing the handcuff from his wrist.

*********************************
Meanwhile, Turk and Virgil changed out of their security guard costumes and into hotel waiter costumes. They wheeled in a table-clothed room service cart into the back entrance of the casino and into the hallways of the hotel.

While inside the casino, Linus leant against a pillar, keeping an eye on the cage door, and waiting for his cue, fiddling with his hands to soothe his nerves.

"Deep breaths." Livingston said over the radio and into his earpiece, "You'll do fine."

"Thank you." Linus said as he nodded and exhaled sharply.

"No sweat. You're a natural." Livingston paused, "But don't screw up." Linus turned to give a security camera an unamused look as he knew both Livingston and Rusty were watching.

Inside the hotel suite, Rusty, and Livingston smile lightly as they watched Linus stare. They turn, hearing wheels behind them, Virgil, and Turk wheel the room service cart towards where they were sat.

"Who gets the penne?" Virgil asked as he and Turk stopped the cart and took the food off the cart before Rusty took off the tablecloth. He then turned to look at Yen as he scrunched it his hands.

"You ready?" He asked, Yen nodded as he finished wrapping his injured hand.