Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Thaddeus Duke · (02-28-2017)

Friday, January 20, 2017 | 3:36 AM Local Time | Undisclosed Location | Syria

The flight has been a quiet one. Neither the King, nor any of his intelligence or military personnel have received any word about the Prince and his status. Is he alive? Is he dead? One can only imagine what it must be like to lose a child. Or in this case, the possibility of it. Sebastian Duke has done it once already and it did not go well. Not knowing may be worse yet.

As a result, for the first time in his life, the King made a rash and emotional decision. One to mobilize the Illuminatus military despite the immense cost to do so. Most of the foot soldiers were stationed abroad in multiple countries, helping in humanitarian aid and rebuilding after the wars. But the war planes are in the air. The ships are at sea and positioning themselves ready for a strike at any moment.

The jumbo jet lands with a screech on the runway. It doesn’t slow down easily due to its immense size. Once its at a full stop and the steps are in place, a black Humvee is seen kicking up dust trails behind it, driving at full speed toward the nose of the aircraft. Guards are on alert, peering through binoculars to see if they can tell just who is inside that Humvee. Missile launchers are put in place, several yards in front of the craft.

”This is your Captain speaking, please remain in the aircraft. There is a possible situation on the runway.”

Back in the King’s office, the man is visibly incensed by the developments. ”What’s going on?” he shouts into his speaker phone, to his man on the ground.

”There’s a Humvee speeding towards us.”

”Well don’t fucking wait! Destroy the threat!”

”It looks like one of ours, sir. We’re trying to get a good view of the occupants. It’s hard since its dark, sir.”

”Fire some warning shots then! I don’t really give a shit, end that threat!”

The King sits back and listens. Shots from an automatic rifle can be heard through the phone.

”The vehicle is stopped.

“The doors are opening.

“Occupants are out.”

”Send someone… expendable... to meet them.”

Seconds that seem like hours in the King’s mind roll on by.

”Sir, its Commander Edwards and Ms. Valentina.

“The black man, too.”

The King sighs in deep relief.

”Send them to my office immediately. Have the Humvee loaded into the cargo hold.”

More minutes roll by before the knock at the door. James, Ariana and the black man assassin, known only as Ramsey, enter the King’s office. The King glares at the trio standing in silence across from him.

”Do we have word on Thaddeus?”

No words. Only the shaking of the Commanders head. The King looks at the duo behind James. ”We need the room.”

Ramsey and Ariana split with speed, knowing the King is furious and not wanting any part of it.

”Sir, before you...”

”SHUT IT!” the King interrupts, stopping James mid-sentence. ”You are the Commander of the Prince’s Illuminatus Guard.

“WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LET HIM OUT OF YOUR SIGHT!?”

”I make no excuses, Your Highness. I take full responsibility for losing the Prince, but...”

”OH FUCK! THAT BETTER NOT BE A ‘BUT’!”

”I let my guard down.

“Nothing I say, no apology can make up for this.

“You need to understand something. He is YOUR son! Whether either of you want to admit it or not, he’s so much more like you than either of you think! What seems stupid and brash by many, turns out to be the right call at the right time!

“He knew what he was doing when he did it. He meant for it to go down the way it did. I believe...”

Just then the phone rings. The King breaks his gaze from Commanders Edwards and hits the speaker button.

”Make it quick!

“I’m in a meeting!”

”Sir, we have another situation on the runway.

“It appears to be a van driving erratically with a headlight out.”

”Just take it out!”

”NO!”

The rage is apparent within the eyes of the once King of Darkness.

”It’s him! I know it!”

”How do you know?”

”Suicide bombers and car bombers, their success depends on the perception of normal. They blend, they don’t stand out. They don’t jump out and yell ‘Everybody stand still, I’mma blow us all up.’”

”That van is a threat, its erratic and all over the runway. And besides, Thaddeus can’t drive...”

The fiery anger turns to hope as it dawns on him that…

”That’s exactly my point.

“He can’t drive which is why it’s so erratic!”

...TBC...

Monday, February 27, 2017 | 10:59 AM Local Time | Illluminatus Compound | Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Thaddeus sits alone in his fathers office sifting through shared intelligence reports from both the Illuminatus and the Catholic Church on the Islamic State. One deed done. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands more still to go. James Edwards, the commander of the Knights of the Illuminatus Guard protecting the Prince enters the office.

Thaddeus raises his eyes from the reports to acknowledge Jim’s presence.

”Is Illuminatus Three fueled up?” he asks, referring to the flying Kingdom that is the royals 777 jet, identical to Illuminatus One and the destroyed Illuminatus Two.

”It’s being fueled as we speak.”

”That Ambassador. How’s he doing?” he asks of Jim, referring to the American Ambassador to Italy. The one that removed the Illuminatus from the American terror watch list.

”He won’t be praying on the underage kids of Italy any longer.”

”Was it a quick end?”

”I let him suffer.”

”Good.”

”Chris Chaos has released a promo.”

Thaddeus looks up and smiles.

”It’s about fucking time, Jim.”

”To be fair, he did have his hands full on Savage with Micheal Graves.”

”I know that.”

Thaddeus logs into XWF99.com and begins to watch the Chris Chaos promo.

”Dave Mathews.

“They’re a pretty underrated band, Jim.”

”Are they?”

”If I’m saying it, doesn’t that make it true?”

”Usually.”

”Chris, let me explain something to you. All of those names you mention and that I’ve mentioned, Gabe Reno, Peter Gilmour, Thomas Nixon… All of them Chris, I have either beaten, or there is no doubt I would beat. So when they say you haven’t faced anyone like them, and I say you haven’t faced anyone like me, there’s an obvious difference. Yes, you went against Doc D’Ville and you beat him.

“Congratulations.

“What have you done since then? Who have you really beaten, Chris? Fucking feeders. Reno is a feeder whether you want to admit it or not. He beat Trax to become number one contender to your title the Warfare after I beat that same Reno for my contender spot. Let’s be real here. Trax is a shell of what he used to be. Yet Reno is some serious challenge in your mind. You should wipe the floor with him and I expect you to do just that. I’ll even do you one better, you’ll have an easier time beating Gabe Reno than you did Micheal Graves.

“Regardless of how that match went down, Chris, Micheal Graves had you on the run. We all know it. And there’s one man you can thank for the stiff challenge he posed to you: Thaddeus Duke. You’re lucky to still have that title, Chris. You know it in your heart. You don’t have to say it, but we all know it to be the truth.

“Say what you want about winning by three falls.”

”Perception is reality, boss. If he won by three falls, obviously it wasn’t close.”

”True, but that’s beside the point.”

”Is it?”

”The match was way closer than the score suggests. Anyway...

“I’m almost ecstatic that you’re still the Universal champion because when I defeat you on Warfare, I’ll have beaten the champion. When I beat you, it’ll solidify my stance of being better than you. Believe me when I say this, Chris, there’s nothing wrong with playing second fiddle to a man named Duke. It happened for years here, and now it’s happening again.

“While listening to this promo of yours, it begs a very realistic question: what the hell are you doing stalking middle school girls? That’s a pretty precarious situation you could have found yourself in. The XWF’s Universal champion stalking a middle school scouting preteen girls. Did you have One Direction bumping in your rental, too?

“Someone is throwing me to the wolves.”

”He really thinks he’s the best thing ever.”

”He is good. I’d never deny that. But the reality is that he sees me in the same light as the others he’s laid to waste. And I have a problem with that. A big problem. Because I’m far better than pretty much anyone he has ever faced. Except for maybe Doc.”

”You know what you need to do?”

”Go to Taco Bell?”

”You need to face D’Ville again. Right the wrong. You’re better now than when you faced him in December. And that match easily could have gone your way back then.

“It just didn’t.”

”I don’t need to beat D’Ville to satisfy my lust for being the best. I do however, need to beat the Universal champion. And I will do that. See, he talks a big game and he has every right to do so. But he thinks my age is a hindrance, when in reality its an added benefit.

“He thinks I’m green, which is just a colloquialism for a stupid rookie.

“I’m not a stupid rookie. I was trained by one of the best the industry has ever seen. Combine that with the genes I was blessed with, and its a recipe for prolonged, sustained success.

“We do agree on one thing though.”

”Masochism?”

”Exactly.

“He says whatever I might do to him, he’s afraid he might enjoy it.

“I’m the same way.

“I rather enjoy the pain.”

”Which is why you’re still smiling even when someone is beating the hell out of you.”

”He thinks all he has to do is make me bleed.”

”Well its true.”

”But he has no idea how hard it is to make a Duke bleed. Many have tried, very few have succeeded.

“Back on point here. Chris Chaos has stated that someone is throwing me to the wolves, Chris himself being that wolf. Set up to teach me respect. Yet the more he talks, the more he talks himself out of his own idiotic statements. He keeps talking and says that this match is set up to embarrass him.

“Which is it?

“Is this match set up to embarrass the Universal Champion? Or is this match set up to teach Thaddeus Duke some respect?

“He also says I should be more creative than calling him a scared champion yet this is the same man that says he’s, and I quote ‘the best in the world at what I do.’ As if that hasn’t been said by another guy in the wrestling world for years.

“Be a little more creative, Chris. Come up with an original catchphrase.

“The double speak is endless. First its about teaching me respect, then its about embarrassing him. I’m green, then I’m top tier. Then I’m a prop at best.

“I think we’ll all need some clarification at this point.

“Somebody settle this guy down. He’s beating himself up with his own idiocy.

“There will be no equalizing, Chris. Because when I beat you, I won’t be equal to you. It’ll then be known beyond a shadow of doubt that I am exactly what I say I am and that is better than you. But I promise you, you should never be embarrassed to lose to me. Many have already. Many, many more will in the future.

“As good as you are Chris, you’re just a stepping stone on my way to the top of this industry.

“Call me green.

“Call me the boy-king that everybody likes to see.

“Call me whatever you like, because it just doesn’t matter. Because when the dust settles at Warfare, the world will call me the winner.

“But hey, at least you get to keep your belt.”

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode The Situation: RP #4
Author	Message