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Thaddeus Duke · (10-28-2016)

Thursday, December 24, 2015 | 10:57 PM Local Time | Outside of Rome

”Commander, Rome is yours,” young Thaddeus Duke hears from his General through the earpiece. The combat portion of the war was short. Less than a year from the time the Brotherhood of the Illuminatus had staged a coup in Germany and later invaded Poland, before setting their sites on the ultimate prize: Vatican City deep in the heart of the Italian Peninsula. Here they are, several months later, just outside of Rome.

Combat may have been short, but the war between the Catholic Church and the Brotherhood of the Illuminatus has raged on, mostly in the shadows, for nearly 1,500 years.

Rome has fallen.

The Italian military has retreated, leaving Vatican City wide open for assault if the young Commander decides upon that course. Thaddeus Duke, riding in the back of Humvee, can’t help but grin. He’s young, very young. Yet his father and grandfather entrusted him with running their military operations. They entrusted him to complete the goal the current Chancellor Asmodeus set out for all those years ago when he re-founded the Illuminatus. Here he was, set to command his loyal soldiers to beseige the walls of Vatican City.

”All stop,” Thaddeus commands, and within a few seconds, the entire military convoy, the tanks, the Humvee’s, the medic vehicles, essentially the entire military comes to a stop. Thaddeus exits the vehicle, his Sanguise Consul (Blood Guardian), James steps out behind him, wearing a leather bomber jacket and an SS cap from the World War Two era.

Thaddeus walks toward the front of the convoy, his loyal soldiers trying to shake his hand as he walks by. He appeases some as he goes, but he knows the job is not quite finished yet. Suddenly, a child runs up to him, appearing to plead with him in native Italian. The young boy pulls on Thaddeus’ overcoat. James pulls his pistol out, Thaddeus puts his hand on James arm, their eyes meet and James replaces his weapon. ”He’s just scared. No need to frighten him more,” Thaddeus explains. ”Does anyone know what the hell he’s trying to tell me?”

An older soldier approaches, Colonel Johnson, according to his name tag on his fatigues, ”he’s saying our raid killed his father and destroyed his home. He’s saying they nearly got out but his mother was gashed in the leg by debris and needs medical attention.”

”Where is she?” Thaddeus asks of the young Italian boy. To which the boy points and Thaddeus’ eyes follow. Off in the distance is a female child hovering over a grown woman near a broken camion with what looks to be a bloodied leg.

Thaddeus turns to the older soldier, ”Colonel, send a medic over to care for the woman. Give them plenty of rations. Some blankets. Secure a building with heat for them. Provide them with whatever they need,” the young Commander orders.

”But sir?” the older soldier interjects. ”The war is not yet over, we may need those...”

”Colonel, I will remind you only this once who is in charge here. I am the Commander of the Illuminatus military. As my subordinate, you will do as I say,” he interrupts. To which the Colonel retreats a step. ”I understand your concerns, but I can assure you Colonel, the war will be concluded before dawn.”

The Colonel salutes, then turns to walk toward the medic when Thaddeus grabs him by the arm. ”And if you ever defy me and question my authority again, Colonel, I will put a bullet between your eyes. Is that clear?”

”Yes Commander.” The Colonel salutes, then walks off.

”James, get me the Holy Father,” he orders to his guard and closest confidant.

”As you command, sir,” James responds. ”Do you think you went easy on the Colonel?” he asks as he reaches for the phone inside a nearby Humvee.

”Yes. I’d consider him very fortunate that I’m in a good mood. Plus it’s the season for giving.”

”Please hold for Illuminatus Commander Thaddeus Duke.” James hands the phone to Thaddeus. ”The Holy Father, sir.”

”Frank, it’s Thad,” Thaddeus says with a slight grin.

”I’m aware of your presence young Duke. I suppose we’re at an impasse,” Pope Francis suggests.

”An impasse? No. Consider this your one hour warning.”

”Oh? I hear Rome has fallen,” Pope Francis states, ignoring the dire warning. ”A great city full of irreplaceable treasures, destroyed by your planes and your tanks.”

”Call it a necessary evil, Father. At the stroke of midnight, I’m ordering my planes and my tanks to take the Vatican,”

”On this holiest of days? You would do such a thing?”

”Of course I would.

“Forgive my bluntness, Father, but I don’t give a shit about your holy days. For years your people have resorted to calumny. Disparaging our name. We told you we were coming. You laughed. We started planning. You sent spies and assassins. We took control of Germany. You had my fathers best friend and confidant murdered.

“Now we’re here. On your doorstep, Father. You sent everything you had and used every trick in the book, yet here we are.

“When your church bells begin tolling at midnight, know that my bombs and tanks will ring behind them. Your holy city will begin to crumble under the mite of my military.

“You have one hour,” he reiterates to the Pope as he hands the phone off to James.

”What’s next?” James asks of his friend and employer.

Thaddeus looks at James and grins. ”Get me an open line to the soldiers,” Thaddeus commands. As he waits, he climbs upon the back of a supply truck. He looks out over the mass of Illuminatus troops and can not help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratification. He’d never say it in the open, but he had his doubts that he’d be able to pull this off. At just 18 years of age, his military was on the brink of victory. It’s as if each generation of the Duke clan gets better and better at being a leader. His grandfather Asmodeus was a great leader and a good orator. His father, Sebastian Duke was a great leader too, but selfish. Thaddeus has the respect and admiration of his soldiers. Thaddeus fought with them. Side by side.

James climbs up onto the back of the truck and hands the young Prince a CB radio. ”Gentlemen, this is your Commander,” he begins, pausing to allow the chatter to die down. To his surprise, not only does the chatter die out, but at once, the thousands of soldiers stand at attention.

”I can not begin to tell you all just how proud I am at this moment. From planning to training, to Germany, Poland, Italy...” his speech is interrupted by his cellphone vibrating in his pocket. Retrieving his phone he looks at the message:

Quote:Thaddeus, it’s your father.

Really? I thought when my phone notified
me of a ‘message from dad’ that it was just
jerking me around.

You’re in my contacts, idiot.

Oh right.

What’s your status? I haven’t had an
update in three days.

Awaken the Chancellor.
It’s time to come home.

He places his phone back in his pocket. ”It culminates tonight. By dawn, combat will cease. By dawn, the Vatican will fall into Illuminatus hands,” Thaddeus is interrupted by the cheers of his soldiers. To which, his only response is a half smile. ”My gut tells me that even after the Vatican falls and we take our home back, they will send others. They can send anyone they want. Let’s hope they don’t send anyone they want back.

“The King and Father Asmodeus are en route to our capital as we speak. When they arrive, I want our flags flying above St. Peter’s Basilica. In less than an hour, the great pagan holiday, hijacked by Christians begins. Let’s make it one they won’t soon forget!” he pauses, allowing his soldiers to cheer and regain their composure.

”Tonight it’s victory. Tomorrow we celebrate.

“On my orders, we’ll march through the streets of Rome and stop just outside of Vatican City.”

Just then, the chop-chop-chop sound of a helicopter distracts Thaddeus. He looks behind him and overhead and watches as his military convoy is being joined by a fleet of Apache attack choppers. Thaddeus turns back to the front.

“Gentlemen…

“ROLL OUT!” he commands. Almost immediately, thousands of troops and dozens of military vehicles, flanked by the Apache’s, lurch forward toward Vatican City.

Everyone knew Croaton equaled Duke. They all thought Sebastian Duke and not his son. The legend that is the King of Darkness and the Xtreme Wrestling Federation? Those days are over. It’s a new day and a new era. My father won’t be coming back. So the trolls and misguided asshats will have to settle for me. I’m sure to get comparisons or people trying to attack me for things for father has said and done when he was part of this organization. I’m sure those some misguided infant minded fools will also try and connect me to Croaton, the being I used to disguise myself as I prepared for my debut.

Do what you will. There’s nothing I can say to stop you. Yet you should know, that Thaddeus Duke does not equal Sebastian Duke. Thaddeus Duke does not equal Croaton.

But you’ll still make the connections, I’m sure. You’ll look into the past and drag out the times my father did something fucked up. Said something fucked up. You’ll try and force me to defend my father but I won’t do it. I won’t play that game. I’m not Sebastian Duke.

You’ll connect me to all the things Croaton has showed you. You’ll condemn me for Croaton forcing people to look deep within themselves and find the courage to admit their wrongs and fix them. You’ll condemn me for Croaton showing you the story of Elizabeth, the girl that fucked her brother to frame her drunk father.

That’s Croaton.

Not me.

But you won’t care and you’ll talk about it. And you’ll try and hammer me to the XWF fans over it. It’s like watching your favorite TV show or film and condemning the hero for something the antagonist did. But you won’t see it that way.

Two plus two always equals seven in the XWF.

The reality is that I just don’t give a shit.

Enter the inevitable ‘you’re talking about it so you must care. You must give a shit, Duke.’

No, it’s just predictable.

You know what else was predictable? My victory on Warfare. Sure Ghost Tank and Jackoff Davis got in some good shots, but it went down just like I said it would. Thaddeus Duke victory. I’m not sure what disappointed me more, the fact that my competition was so soft, or the fact that I was bored during the duration of my own match. The XWF and the powers that be really could have done me a favor and given me better competition for my first match. Vincent Lane, your incredibly inept XWF owner, knew who I was. He knows the abilities in the squared circle from my family. Theo Pryce and Sebastian Duke, my uncle and my father respectively, sit 8th and 9th on the XWF’s top 50. And they gave me Ghost Tank and Jake Davis.

Consider the source. Vincent Lane. The same man that just a few days ago released a video on XWF99.com with the headline “X-TREME TITLE ANNOUNCEMENT.” You click the headline and view the video to find out that it’s not an announcement, but an announcement of another coming announcement.

That’s the man running the show.

Having said that, he did put together something my father always wanted and never had. The chance to go one on one with Luca Arzegotti. In fact I showed my father the card and you know what his reaction was? He smiled, which he never does, and said “good luck, kid.”

I guess my father sees Luca Arzegotti as something special, or at least a notch in his win column that he never had the chance to make.

I just don’t see it.

Daniel "Danny" Mazzant
May 21, 1984 - October 25, 2006
Hard to believe its been a decade.
We miss you.

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