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Thaddeus Duke · (06-11-2017)

[duke]Present Day | 2:44 PM | The Illuminatus Compound | Old Saybrook, Connecticut [/duke]

The meeting with Arizona Senator John McCain went better for Thaddeus, than he had suspected it would. Inwardly, he thought that McCain would tear him a new one and demand that the military equipment within his possession be returned to its rightful owners. He feared he’d get too brazen with the wily Senator and things would take a downward spiral. All of his thoughts and all of his fears heading into the meeting never really materialized. At least in that respect, Thaddeus is pleased.

Make no mistake, the young man is not happy. Not even a little. Thaddeus operates on trust. Being at war, you have to. It’s not something you can debate. You absolutely need to trust your friends and allies. Lincoln Tritter, in his mind, has violated that trust. There’s things about the man that Thaddeus doesn’t know and that is something that came to light during the meeting with John McCain. These things, whatever they are, and not knowing them, not being told of them previously, has Thaddeus fuming. He doesn’t show anger often, but today is different.

As John McCain and his motorcade make their way through the roundabout in front of the mansion, Thaddeus Duke has not once taken his eyes off of Lincoln Tritter. Tritter is a big man, taller, thicker, heavier than Thaddeus. You would think he’d be impossible to intimidate and perhaps he is. But he most certainly feels the heat from Thaddeus and his burning gaze. Without removing his stare from Tritter, which Lincoln does his best to ignore, and once the McCain motorcade has exited the Compound gates, Thaddeus pulls out his cell and calls the Gate House.

”Yes sir?” answers the man on the other end of the line.

[duke]”Call the tower, have Victor replace George at the gate,”[/duke] Thaddeus instructs.

”Consider it done.”

[duke]”Inform Victor that if visitors from the United States Government arrive here, they’re to be allowed through without question. I don’t care if I’m here or not.”[/duke]

”Will do, sir.”

[duke]”We’re at war. Their safety is of the utmost importance the moment they step onto the property. Is that understood?”[/duke]

”Clearly, sir. And George? His new assignment?”

Thaddeus ponders his response, still not removing his stare from Tritter.

[duke]”Go wait in my office, Lincoln,”[/duke] he commands. Tritter vacates immediately and heads to the mansion. Returning to his man at the Gate House, [duke]”Hand him a fuckin’ shovel. Remove his rifle and his badge.

“He can shovel shit from the dog runs out back.”[/duke]

”I’m on it, sir.”

Thaddeus ends the call abruptly and turns to Jim.

”Jesus,” he pauses. ”He knows McCain, knows Pryce, works for the Vatican. What fucking side is he on, Thaddeus?”

Thaddeus shakes his head and heads back into the small house. After opening the roll top on his grandfathers antique desk, he opens a locked box with a key from his pocket. Inside the box lies his Desert Eagle and its magazine. After securing the magazine into the pistol, Thaddeus turns to Jim. [duke]”Don’t know, Jim. But I’m getting answers one way or another.”[/duke]

Thaddeus exits the small house quickly, and Jim hurries to catch up to him as he walks quickly up the grassy hill toward the mansion where Lincoln awaits.

”Thad, stop!” Jim shouts, grabbing Thaddeus by his armed hand.

Thaddeus stops in his tracks and looks at Jim, then proceeds to get in his face. [duke]”You do the advising, Jim, but you don’t give orders.

“Ever.

“You’ll want to let go now, before I snap your wrist like a fucking twig. You’ve seen me do it. You know I can.”[/duke]

Jim quickly releases and Thaddeus resumes heading toward the mansion. Jim sighs deeply and hurries to again catch up. By the time he does so, Thaddeus is slipping inside the front doors of the mansion. Seconds later, he bursts through the door of his own office and pulls back the slide on his pistol, chambering a round, then holds the barrel against Lincoln Tritter’s temple as he sits in a chair.

[duke]”Time to talk, Linc.”[/duke]

”That thing actually loaded?”

[duke]”Why didn’t you tell me?”[/duke]

”Kid, you’re not going to pull that trigger. You’re as obsessed with your office being neat as you are at defeating your father, and at winning that title.

“You’re not going to throw blood and brain matter all over this room.”

Thaddeus pulls the barrel away from Lincoln’s temple and fires six successive shots into the wall to his right, sending plaster and dust clouds over the room.

[duke]”It holds seven, and I only need one,”[/duke] Thaddeus replies, placing the barrel back against Tritter’s temple. Hearing the shots, the two armed guards stationed at the front doors of the mansion rush over. Seeing their boss with his gun to Tritter’s head, they look at each other for a moment and then quietly back away.

”Alright,” Tritter relents. ”Sit down, take it easy. We’ll talk.”

Thaddeus shakes his head, but then realizing Tritter can’t see his head speaks up. [duke]”No, Tritter. When you start satisfying my need for answers, that’s when I’ll relax.

“Until then, this hot barrell stays against your head.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”[/duke]

”I didn’t know you from Adam, Thaddeus. What I do is need to know and at that point, you didn’t need to know.”

[duke]”So knowing my uncle, who is close to my father, you didn’t see as something I needed to know?”[/duke]

Thaddeus steps back and looks at Jim, standing in the door way. [duke]”Shit, I get Caedus’s point.”[/duke]

”It doesn’t make any difference.”

[duke]”But it does, Lincoln. Your relationship with my uncle is something I should have known the second we met back in Pittsburgh.”[/duke]

”Look, I don’t work FOR the Vatican, I do work WITH the Vatican. I work for the good guys, Thaddeus. I’m freelance. I’ve done work with the American Government. The Israeli’s. The Brits. The Church.

“As far as Theo Pryce is concerned, we worked together here. In the States. Long before his pro wrestling days, long before he knew he was your fathers brother. Long before you were anything more than a twinkle in yo’ daddy’s eye!

“Are we close friends? No, we’re not. We’ve worked together and shared information with one another to try and do the best jobs we can. Theo Pryce does not interfere in my business, nor I his.”

Thaddeus ponders momentarily, then removes the gun from Tritter’s head and walks around the desk, sitting in his big comfy chair. After ejecting the final, unspent cartridge, he catches it in mid air. Taking a sharpie marker from the pen holder nearby, he performs a little artwork on the cartridge and holds it up for Tritter to see.

[duke]”What’s that read?”[/duke]

”Tritter,” Lincoln replies.

[duke]”I’ll keep this bullet in my pocket and this gun on my person at all times, Lincoln. If I ever get the hint that you’re lying to me, trust me when I say this, I’ll bury this thing right in your fuckin’ skull.

“Now tell me what McCain meant when he said we’re not on American soil.”[/duke]

”This building and the land it sits on, plus the coast and the waters that touch it, are now considered property of the Illuminatus State. Now, officially, the United States Government does not recognize your existence, but they have done you the favor of giving this property the same designation they would to any other nation with an embassy here.

“Before you get all excited, they did it for a reason. If Sebastian were to attack the Compound at any given point, then the American military is not obligated to intervene. Further, being an American by birth, Thaddeus, you couldn’t plan to invade, to attack, to defend anything because its a violation of federal law to overthrow a foreign power, or provide funding or planning in order to do so.

“Designating this place as a foreign land gives you that freedom.

“In other words, Thaddeus, it covers their collective ass. It allows them to allow you to do whatever it is you’re going to do. To plan whatever it is you’re going to plan. Without the American government being directly involved, it keeps them out of hot water with other nations.”

[duke]”You know, I never really considered that my citizenship could create problems.”[/duke]

Tritter shakes his head slowly while popping in a piece of nicotine gum. ”It’s not your dual citizenship that’s the issue. It’s the fact that you’re American by birth. If you thought this meeting with Senator McCain was about military equipment, you’re wrong.

“They already wrote that off as a loss two years ago. The designation for this property only came through two days ago and your military attacks in Poland and Italy a couple years ago made you and your family, private enemy number one.

“When John told you there was a target on your head, he wasn’t blowing smoke. The fact is, they already knew where the equipment came from. This meeting, once the designation went through, was just the American government opening the door to communication with you.”

[duke]”What’s next?”[/duke]

”You need a Navy, Thaddeus.”

Thaddeus considers Tritter’s words. Knowing what went down off the Italian coast this week, that much is clear. Both the Vatican and the Compound are next to bodies of water meaning his fathers war ships can attack from the sea without much in the way of defense from Thaddeus.

[duke]”How the fuck do I raise a Navy?”[/duke]

Tritter smiles ever so slightly.

[duke]”What?”[/duke]

”I already covered it.

“This meeting with McCain was going to decide one way or the other whether or not the Americans would help. He took a liking to you, which isn’t a surprise because most people do. Had he left here with a bad taste in his mouth, he’d have killed the deal.”

[duke]”What deal?”[/duke] Thaddeus asks, shifting in his chair with anticipation.

”The American military was set to decommission a bunch of ships and I talked McCain into loaning them to you. They’re loaning them to you free of charge under one condition,” Tritter says, before adopting a very serious look.

[duke]”What’s the condition?”[/duke]

”That you win.”

[duke]”And if I don’t?”[/duke]

”The American government destroys the Illuminatus.

“From tip to tail.”

Thaddeus considers this briefly, [duke]”Meaning me too?”[/duke]

Tritter slowly nods.

[duke]”Then I guess I need to win.”[/duke]

Again, Tritter nods.

”Mind you, its not a huge fleet, but its enough to compete. One carrier, three destroyers, six battleships, two cruisers…. And four very elite submarines.”

[duke]”Elite? In what way?”[/duke]

”They’re virtually silent and extremely hard to detect. The United States Navy calls them silent killers. They can hunt. They can slip in quietly unnoticed, and sink your father’s ships as they’re found and slip out without being noticed.”

”Thaddeus,” Jim says as he stops leaning on the door way and steps inside the office. ”We used the bunker to talk to McCain but we’re talking about this right inside the mansion?”

[duke]”If they’re listening, it’s a little late now.”[/duke]

”I’d suggest using these subs as protection. Put one off the American coast to troll the waters and protect the Compound. Another off of Italy to protect the Vatican. The other two can guard the rest of the fleet, or hunt your fathers vessels.”

[duke]”Let’s pin this for now. I have to figure out how I’m manning these ships.”[/duke]

With that, Thaddeus, James and Lincoln Tritter begin to exit the office. Tritter stops in the doorway and looks back at the desk where Thaddeus laid his Desert Eagle. Noticing this, Thaddeus holds it up for Lincoln to see.

[duke]”Oh no, I didn’t forget.”[/duke]

[duke]I was planning! I… I had important things to do and well… boat horns and stuff! C’mon Chris, didn’t you even laugh just a little? I mean, if you can’t poke fun at yourself then you must obviously be the life of any party. Loosen up man. It’s all just fun and games.

I never said it was over. I never said you were packing it in, but let’s be real here Chris. Your latest promo starts out sounding a lot like mine did. If your idea of creativity is ripping off someone else, then you still got a lot to learn. Chris Chaos had more important shit to do than pander to the lowest common denominator? Me? The lowest? Are you out of your mind? Bitch I set the bar. I set the standard for this match. And you, ain’t even close to my level. But let’s talk about what it’s like to be a little busy. The entire time I’ve been dropping promos relentlessly bombing you with my fake shenanigans, I’ve been training. I’ve been traveling. I’ve been going to war with my father. I’ve been planning next steps in war, next steps for this match. And STILL, I’m here. STILL, I’m fighting for what I have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I want more than you.

Shallow tough talk? You have the shallow part covered that’s for fuckin’ sure. Tough talk though? Let me know when you even reach weak talk. We’ll throw a little ‘hey, Chris Chaos didn’t completely stink it up on the mic this time’ party.

‘Thaddeus Duke is panicking because his little tricks to get me off my game didn’t work.’ Not only are you not on your game, Chris, you were never on it to begin with. I’ve been in your head since day one. I’ve been cutting away at your self confidence since the last time we squared up. Having confidence in yourself is half of the battle, Chris. Sure, you’ll come out here and you’ll say you’re confident and you’ll say I was never in your head, but let’s call a spade a spade, Chris. Let’s be true and real and honest. As much as I say it, and as much as you try and deflect it, the fact is, I’m not the only one that sees it. This entire company can see it. From the Michael McBride’s and the Peter Gilmour’s, to the Doctor D’Ville’s and the Jim Caedus’s. They all see it the same way I do. You and your career are on a downward spiral and every last one of the boys are laughing at you.

I am better than you, Chris and I always have been. I knew it the first time we got together. No, that match did not have a favorable outcome to my benefit, but I knew then that I could beat you while you made the same mistake you always make, and you’re not alone because many others make the same one. You made the simple mistake of thinking that because you beat me once then that means you should beat me every time. You proved that logic false in the first week of May on Savage, when I beat you for the three count. And I’ll remind you again at High Stakes. The only question Chris, is whether I’m going to pin you, or if I’ll make you tap.

In one breath Chris Chaos argues that since he’s been in the ring with me before that he knows exactly what I’m capable of, but that I have no idea what he’s capable of. Where the hell do you come up with this shit? I said you bought Peter Gilmour’s Shit Talkin’ For Dummies as a joke, but now me and the rest of this industry are wondering if maybe Pete really did write a book and you are taking pointers from it because that is the worst fucking logic I’ve ever personally seen.

The fact that your record is thirty-three, ten and two really is a miracle. I’ll give you that much. Though its not a miracle in the way you think it is. You think its a miracle because you’ve gone through the biggest and the best in the highest of profile matches. The reality is, you haven’t. Forty-five matches Chris, that’s what you’ve had. Of those, how many were against the upper echelon, top tier of this company? I’ve done the research. The answer is less than ten. D’Ville twice, me twice, Graves twice, The Kings, Bourbon. I’d throw you a bone and throw Reno in there three times, but one, he was never elite and two, you lost to him twice. Wanna add Trax? I’ll give you Trax. The guy is pretty damn solid. Here, I will throw you a bone and round it up to ten matches against elite competition. Break it down into a percentage. 22%. 22% of your matches were against elite competition. One of every four and a half, 2 of 9, 4 of 18… see where I’m going?

I’ve had 12 matches in the XWF, Chris. A nice even dozen. Arzegotti. D’Ville twice. You twice. Graves. It’s an even fifity-fifty. I’ve spent more than twice what you have, percentage wise, in the ring with elite competition. You can beat around the bush all you like and say ‘well I don’t book the matches’ and you’d be correct. The point is Chris, your inflated win total has given you a false confidence that is betraying you more and more as time goes on. It has given you a false sense of your worth and ability. You are good, damn good. I’d never deny it. But you aren’t nearly as good as you think you are. Call me crazy, but I’d rather face the best of the best every time out and lose, than to boost my own egotism by beating guys like Phantom Phaggot and Peter Gilmour on a weekly basis.

I’d go on, but… seriously… the rest of Chris’s promo is just microwaved liver. Dried up with no real substance or value, much less any real flavor unless you count bitterness. Something about Jim being a junkie or looking like one and him being a junkie for the gold that he’ll never wear again. More pointless time filler like the human circulatory system… whatever.

Chaos is done. He’s washed up. He’s toast. He’s stale. He’s dry. He has like, very little personality and virtually no sense of humor. What’s funny to me, is that he’s the only one that can’t see it.

Eat or be eaten. Chris Chaos is an endangered species and like the others before him, they didn’t recognize it either until it was too late. Evolve or go extinct.

I’ve chewed him up and spit him out. He’s a beaten man, and he’ll prove it at High Stakes.

Jim Caedus says I’m next. You know I’m game, Jimmy.

Batter up playa.[/duke]

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