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The Plot - Thaddeus Duke - 06-01-2024 The War Room Brooklyn Warehouse Brooklyn, New York Part One - Tape Study - Sunday, February 18th Frankie and I sat for hours upon hours every weekend since Tyler’s XWF debut.  He was a diligent studier not only in school, but it carried over to his plot as well.  It took time to curate everything.  Tyler had been in more places than just the XWF or OCW.  If you’re studying your prey, you don’t stop at the most recent iteration.  You go all the way back as far as you possibly can. ”What’d you learn?” I asked Frankie as I shut off the last recording. ”A lot,” he replied. ”That isn’t much of an answer,” I goaded him. ”I just mean I keep goin’ back to what you said a couple months ago,” he paused.  ”Knowing what bait to lay out so that your prey will willingly walk right into your trap.” ”What else?” ”Gold will lure him, but it’ll also trap him,” Frankie stated as a matter of fact.  ”He seeks clout and nothing more.  He just wants to pretend to be great rather than doin’ the work to actually be great.” ”So what’s step one?” I asked the boy. ”I need to call Aunt Sloane,” he said as he pulled out his cell. ”What?  Why?” I asked.  ”She doesn’t have any gold.” ”No, but she has a title match with Doc,” he reminded me.  ”So she might.” He holds his hand up as Sloane answers his facetime call. ”Heyyyy Frankie!” she greeted him warmly.  ”What’s up?  Where are you?” ”With my dad in Brooklyn,” he answered her while turning his phone to put me on camera.  ”Say hi, dad.” ”Hey.” ”Hey Thad, what are you guys up to?” ”Plotting my revenge against Tyler.” ”Your revenge,” she repeated with a laugh. ”You think I’m kidding, but I’m actually kinda serious.” ”Thad, you put him up to this?” she asked me. ”Yeah,” I replied.  ”Well, kind of.  I gave him the greenlight to do it if he thought it’d reclaim the power Tyler stole from him when he sold him out.” ”Hmmmm,” Sloane worried. ”Don’t worry, he’ll never be in any actual physical danger,” I reassured her.  ”That’s a mistake I only need to make once.” ”Okay,” she hesitates.  ”What can I do to help?” ”You’re gonna face him at March Madness right?” he asked. ”That appears to be the plan,” she answered. ”Good,” Frankie replied.  ”I kinda need you to take a dive.” Silence. ”I swear to God I had no idea that was part of his idea,” I called out. ”I mean, make it look good obviously. But…” he paused as Sloane continued to digest his request.  ”Just lose.” ”Frankie, you can’t ask someone to…” ”No, I’ll do it,” she interrupted me. ”For real?” Frankie asked with a beaming smile. ”I don’t know what you’re cooking up, Frankie,” Sloane replied.  ”But you’re a smart kid and I trust that you’ve put a lot of thought into this.” ”I’ve been working on it for months,” Frankie reassured her. ”Then if you need me to lose, I’ll lose,” she restated before looking away from the screen briefly.  ”Okay, I need to go feed Quill and Wig.  Thad, call me in a few days would ya?” ”Yeah I will,” I replied. ”Thanks Aunt Sloane,” Frankie replied before they mutually ended their call.  ”There’s one thing I don’t get.” ”What’s that?” ”Why couldn’t I just hatch one big plan in one night?  How come I gotta drag it out?” ”When we go fishing, do you jerk your rod as soon as you feel a nibble?  Or do you set the hook before you reel that bitch in?” ”Set the hook,” he replied. ”You can do this however you want to do it.  You don’t even have to do this at all if you don’t want to.” ”Nah,” he said before sitting in thought for a few moments.  ”You once told me that revenge is a dish best served cold.” ”I did,” I laughed.  ”But I stole that off an 80’s TV show.” ”That doesn’t make it less true.” ”What’s next?” He sits quietly in thought again. ”You don’t even know?” I chastised him playfully.  ”Your entire plan hinges on Aunt Sloane being a champion and she gotta get through Doc D’Ville in order to be one.” ”That’s step two,” he replied.  ”We need to meet with Doc.” Everything that has happened, everything that is going to happen, all could’ve been avoided.  Tyler Norrie never had to sell out a young boy just to push the Duke’s from his life.  All he ever needed to do was speak up and like the wind, my family and I would’ve scattered.  Tyler talks a lot.  He accuses me of this, that and the other thing and expects everyone to buy it lock, stock and barrel.  Our existence within his life was certainly not too much when it benefitted him, right?  When it comes right down to it, he’s the one that found his way into my life, not the other way around.  And at the end of the day, no one gave two shits about Cypher or Tyler Norrie when I bought OCW.  He was put into a title match at my orders and no one else’s. But the Duke’s… you know, we’re bad for Tyler Norrie.  We weren’t, but that’s how he felt.  Truth be told, the Duke’s aren’t bad for anyone- until we are. There are so few things that get my dander up but he sure as shit hit the nail on the head and made this rift between us extremely personal.  He could’ve betrayed me and only me and I would’ve buried this the moment we fucked him out of the very same championship that I put him in position for.  He didn’t, so I can’t.  Fact is, targeting children is out of bounds regardless of your fandom, regardless of your experience, regardless of how much you like or dislike your opponent. Some people just have to learn that the hard way and the hard way is exactly what’s coming at The Revelry.  Tyler is on track to learn what 74 others learned before him.  That I’m not some OCW schmuck.  That I’m not some pom pom waving rah rah aw shucks golly gee fan favorite.  They cheer me, not because I play by the rules.  They do it because I’m honest.  They do it because I tell them exactly what I’ll do and then I go and do it.  They do it because whether they’d traditionally like me or not I earned their respect a long time ago. Tyler hasn’t yet.  Further, it’s likely he never will.  Men like Tyler, they’d rather take the easy road than the one less traveled.  That’s the difference between guys like me, and also-ran’s like he. It wasn’t my pride he hurt. It wasn’t my feelings. It was a child.  My child.  A young boy that never did a damn thing to anyone was targeted for… what?  To make some kinda point that no one else could possibly see?  To send a message to me?  Whatever his reasons, none of them are valid.  Frankie was betrayed by someone he thought loved him.  Now… after damn near two years.  Frankie will have his revenge. Part Two - Doc’s Little Devil - February 24th Admittedly, it took a lot of convincing.  Doc and I have always been on friendly terms, but that doesn’t mean I want my kids anywhere near him.  As ‘dangerous’ goes, Louis D’Ville is one of the most dangerous in XWF history.  When I first learned of this part of the plan, I was reluctant to allow it.  I was damn close to vetoing the whole thing from start to finish but at the end of the day, I’ve allowed Frankie to spread his wings and soar.  It’s partially my fault he was victimized to begin with and my only recourse as a father that doesn’t involve me putting a bullet in Tyler’s brain, is allowing Frankie to fly a little close to the sun. About a week after Frankie’s call with Sloane Taylor, I let Frankie accompany me to Warfare in Sunrise, Florida.  Before the show hit the airwaves and I was due at ringside for color, we found Lou tucked away in some dark, nondescript portion of the Amerant Bank Arena. ”Young Duke,” Doc greeted me in his cold yet somehow still kinda warm demeanor.  ”Even younger Duke.  What a surprise.” Immediately I felt uneasy.  Instant regret came rushing into my body and I was about to call it off for a second time, but some gleam in Doc’s eyes, with his warm but creepy smile at my son entirely threw me off my game. ”I see you are still without my tag belts, Young Duke,” Doc says as he darts his eyes from me to Frankie. ”Ugggh how many times do I gotta tell you?” I asked in a tone more akin to a teenage kid that didn’t clean his room and less like the 25 year old full grown man that I actually am.  ”Imma get to it.” ”Ummm, Mister… errrm… Doctor D’Ville?” Frankie said, cutting through the awkwardness.  ”I came to ask a favor of you.” ”Oh?” Doc questioned.  ”Imagine that.  Another Duke needing help from little ol’ me.” Doc threw his hands behind his back and looked more like a caring grandfather in a certain light than the terrorizing being that he is. ”What can I help you with, young Francis?” ”Well… see…” he stammered as he tried to get the words out. ”Frankie,” I said as I leaned down and turned him toward me.  ”He’s just a man.  Whatever else you think you know about Louis, that’s all you need to remember.  He’s made of flesh, blood and bone just like me.  Just like you.” Okay, so I lied. ”Yes, of course,” Doc agreed with his shittiest grin.  ”There’s no need to fear the Devil.” Frankie laid out his plan for the Good Doctor from start to finish.  He told him things that even I wasn’t aware of yet.  As he was laying it out for Doc, I started to think that this could all work after all.  If all else failed, then at the very least Frankie can go into sales without a problem because I'm sold. ”You want me to lose to Ms. Taylor?” Doc questioned.  ”Why would I do such a thing?” ”Affection for my dad?” ”Are you asking or is that your answer?” ”If not that, then maybe because I’m just a kid and I’m plotting a devious scheme on an overgrown manchild,” Frankie replied. ”And what have you learned so far about your prey?” D’Ville asked him. ”Why does everyone keep asking me that!?” Frankie called out a bit rhetorically before going on to answer.  ”He's easy to bait. He's a creature of habit and always goes for the low hanging fruit because he's lazy and uninventive.” ”And me losing my precious championship tonight assures you’re successful in setting up this… Cypher… for his downfall?” ”I want to make sure he gets what he wants,” Frankie began to explain.  ”Then I want to take it all away from him.” His answer coaxed a chuckle from D’Ville.  Sometimes I marvel at this kid.  He’s way too wise for his years and he’s certainly far smarter than I am. ”For your plan to work, young Francis, means I drop my precious to that blond nitwit,” Doc thinks aloud.  ”In turn she drops it to Cypher presumably at March Madness.  You make him a champion.  Then what happens?” ”That’s where dad comes in,” Frankie began.  ”While Tyler is celebrating his hard fought victory, dad comes in behind him and kicks his head off his shoulders.” ”What does that accomplish in your little plan?” he asked. ”It signals intent,” Frankie replied.  ”That Tyler’s next challenge is the man he betrayed nearly two years ago.” ”So we all play hot potato with an XWF Championship just to eventually allow your dad to take it?” ”No,” I chimed in.  ”I have no interest in carrying gold.” ”He won’t remain champion past his first defense,” he continued.  ”Dad will come out and get him looking the other way.  That distraction will allow whomever he’s facing to get the upper hand and plant him on the mat.  That’s where I come in.” Doc slams his fists down on the table between us, feigning excitement. ”Dad’s gonna teach me how to do a frog splash–” ”I am?” I questioned.  ”We didn’t discuss this.  I’m not putting you in that ring to potentially get hurt.” ”I’ll be fine,” he insisted.  ”Who in your business targets kids, dad?  Only the worst of the worst try hard edge lords.” ”You think this frog splash of yours will put Cypher down for a three count?” Doc questioned. ”Well I’ll be wearing the belt and I’m not gonna aim for his body,” he paused.  ”Just his head.” The three of us sat quietly for an excruciatingly long time as Louis considered everything Frankie had told him.  At least it seemed like a long time.  With D’Ville, time is an abstract concept.  Frankie cut through the silence by continuing on with his plan.  He told us both how he’d get air time wearing Cypher’s belt just to coax the little snake from his hole.  Frankie told us of the “bravery” Cypher would show in attempting to confront a teenage boy only to get turned away by Seb’s Veneras International security forces. Before he was finished, Doc D’Ville stood up and grabbed his title from the table. ”Where you going?  We’re still talking.” ”Yes dear boy,” Doc replied.  ”But now I have to go to the ring and defend my precious.” ”You gonna do it?” Frankie asked.  ”Take the dive I mean?” ”It’s a big ask,” I reminded the boy, causing him to look at me.  When he looked back at D’Ville, he was gone. Projecting your own bullshit onto me is everything I expected from you, Tyler.  So thank you for living down to, and exceeding, my expectations.  Since this saga began in March you have tried to paint me as a bad father because YOU chose to do what YOU did.  Your poor choices don’t make me the bad guy no matter how you try and spin it.  Worse yet, you know that’s the case and you still double, triple and quadruple down on trying to make the world believe that it’s my fault that you’re a shit human being. You were a piece of shit long before YOU came into MY life and you’ll be a shit human being long after you’ve left it. Blaming the father of someone YOU hurt is the worst kind of projection, Tyler.  It’s victim blaming’s little brother and everyone knows how that plays out in the public eye.  It doesn’t make you edgy or innovative.  It just makes you like the hundreds of other middling talents that won’t ever be good enough. I never should’ve trusted you.  That is on me.  People tried to warn me repeatedly for months and I didn’t listen.  Why?  Because I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.  I wanted to extend my hand to you for saving my life three years ago.  I wanted you to rise above what people said about you but all you did was prove everyone right. Me trusting you and treating you like family is what put my kid in harms way but no matter how you slice it, no matter how you spin it, what happened was all because of you and your poor choices.  Now, at the Revelry inside the Lion’s Den, you’re gonna find out what happens when you betray me and my family. I don’t ask much of my friends.  Loyalty.  That’s it.  I bring you in and treat you like my own blood and all I ask in return is that you remain loyal to me, to my family because there’s nothing I won’t give you but love, respect and a helping hand without a second thought.  You’re finding out slowly that I make a much better ally than an enemy. Part Three - The Splash - Day of Cypher’s Title Defense Without his mother’s knowledge, she’d veto without question, I had an XWF ring set up in the Brooklyn warehouse.  After school for weeks, Frankie and I would come here and he’d practice the frog splash.  At first there was a crash mat.  The last thing I wanted was for him to hurt himself when he was learning.  Today was the day I finally removed the crash mat and replaced it with a dummy. ”If you’re gonna do this tonight, you gotta know how to hit the mat without hurting yourself,” I told him. ”I’ll be fine,” he said as he climbed the ropes. Dressed in nothing more than sneakers, basketball shorts and knee and elbow pads, Frankie’s jacked (for a scrawny 13 year old) body leaps, and frog splashes the dummies head. ”Shit,” he muttered to himself. ”You gotta make sure your knees and elbows hit the mat at the same time,” I told him from my perch atop one of the corners.  ”You need to spread the impact over as much of your body as you can.” Picking himself up from the mat, he returned to the corner to climb again.  Just as he prepared to take flight, his mother entered the building. ”I brought lun… LEANDER!” she yelled at me as Frankie flew and perfectly landed his frog splash.  ”Francis Robert!  Don’t you do that again!” ”Babydoll rela…” ”No!  Absolutely not!  Frankie, get in the car, you’re coming home with me!” ”He’s been practicing for weeks, Lauren.  Trust me.  He’s fine.” ”Mom, let me show you,” Frankie pleaded as he began preparing himself for another attempt.  Adjusting his pads he then scaled the turnbuckles again and landed another perfect frog splash.  This time, not hurting himself in the process. Lauren watched but was visibly angry.  I understand it.  He’s just a boy and what’s more, he’s her boy.  She’d never forgive herself nor me if something happened to him. ”You’re really gonna put him in the ring with grown ass men?” she questioned angrily.  ”What if something goes wrong?  What if the turnbuckle breaks?  What if he lands awkwardly and breaks his arm, or busts up his knees?” ”That’s not gonna happen…” ”You don’t know…” ”I do know!” I interrupted. ”How could you possibly?” ”BECAUSE I TAUGHT HIM!” I snapped. ”Anything happens to him, it’s your ass,” she warned before storming out. ”I should’ve told her,” Frankie said apologetically. ”Yeah me too,” I agreed.  ”Don’t fuck this up, kid.  I don’t wanna sleep on the couch in my own house.” To be clear, I have thoroughly enjoyed being the puppet as he pulled all the strings.  Frankie is an extremely intelligent kid and to watch his plot unfold almost to perfection the way it has, has been a great joy to me.  Through this process, he’s learned to let go of what hurts him.  By focusing on how to get past it rather than dwell on what happened, it’s allowed him to spread his wings so to speak.  Whether I win or lose doesn’t matter.  What matters is that justice is served.  That justice isn’t predicated on the final outcome.  If Tyler is victorious, he’ll have earned it and it’ll be the one and only thing he’s ever truly earned in the wrestling business. Tyler… is a coward.  He’s gone on record saying I hid behind Frankie despite me being the aggressor.  He didn’t have the balls to confront me man to man until my hands were cuffed behind my back at my own doing.  He didn’t have the testicular fortitude to face me man to man until I assured him that I wouldn’t hit him. He sure was willing and eager to confront a teenage boy standing alone in the middle of the ring though, wasn’t he?  He wanted his belt back and there he was, an undersized 13 year old kid cutting a promo but Tyler wanted to deal with him… until my kids protection detail showed themselves and Tyler didn’t want anything to do with him then, did he? Cuffing myself in the middle of the ring and hitting my knees, putting myself at Tyler’s mercy was a test.  One he failed miserably.  Thing is, I knew he would because he’s a coward.  Now I didn’t intend to have thumbtacks stuck into my eyeball, but I was ready for Tyler to exceed my low expectations of him by sinking even lower.  I knew what I was in for, but that didn’t matter.  There isn’t a single piece of bait that Tyler won’t swallow hook, line and sinker. Did that make you feel like a man, Tyler?  Did accosting a restrained man make your shriveled little dick hard?  Congratulations for repeatedly proving what a weak little bitch you truly are.  See Frankie put that test out there just for you.  You had two options and you chose the one everyone knew you would. Why? Because you’re a coward. I will give you some props though, Tyler.  You did have the balls to directly threaten my kid right in front of my face and I’m sure I did exactly what you wanted me to do.  And I don’t regret a damn thing about it. Frankie set him up.  Now, I knock him down. At the Revelry in Cali, Tyler, there can be no cowardice.  There will be no mercy afforded to you.  There will be nothing but relentless pursuit of the Lion’s Justice.  Win or lose, this ends on June 2nd.  I will not and can not afford you the courtesy of being a friend and not hurting you.  I will hurt you.  I have every intention of hurting you.  I’m intent on making absolutely certain that you will not walk out under your own power.  If I have to do the same to myself, then so be it.  That’s what it means to live for something other than yourself.  Try it sometime.  You might just find your life’s purpose other than being a sniveling little snake in the grass whose hiss is far worse than his bite. My hope for you Tyler, is that you come out the other side of this with regret.  Not regret that you got yourself tangled in this mess, but regret that you made the choices you made.  My boy is still naive enough to think that maybe you’re salvageable.  I make no such assumption. When the bell rings and you’re standing across from me, I won’t see Tyler.  I won’t see a man I once trusted.  I won’t see a man that used to sit in the locker room and play video games with my son.  All I’ll see Tyler… served to me on a golden platter… is vengeance. I became Frankie’s vessel of revenge because I can. I put this match inside my own personal fucking playground because I can. I will hurt you… because I can. I will make you regret the day you saved my life… because I can. I’m going to beat you to a bloody fucking pulp… because I can. I’m going to make you feel pain in places that you didn’t even know you had places because… I can. I will serve the young lion’s justice, Tyler... simply… because I can.