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Thaddeus Duke · (06-01-2017)

February 2, 2016 | 9:01 AM | Borgia Tower Office of the Illuminatus King | Vatican City

Thaddeus Duke saunters up the spiral staircase within the Borgia tower, leading to his fathers office. He’s beaten. He’s battered. He’s bruised. He’s stiff as hell and he’s almost ashamed to admit that. Wanting something, and obtaining something are two totally different things. Thaddeus knows he wants to be a part pf professional wrestling. He knows he wants to be a star. He knows he wants the fans to eat from the palm of his hand and hang on his words, just like his father before him.

What he’s only now beginning to question, is whether or not he actually has what it takes. It’s an eerily unfamiliar feeling for him. Yes he’s young, but he has never ever doubted himself in anything he’s done. He’s extremely fearless and sometimes will charge forward with reckless abandon and throwing caution to the wind. That fact was made clear several months earlier when his troops marched toward Italy and declined to protect the rear of the offensive front, allowing Italian troops to sneak in from behind and essentially surround his Illuminatus units. Only a series of relentless bombing, day and night, allowed the Illuminatus to regain the advantage as Italian troops retreated into France, giving Thaddeus the opportunity to reenforce the borders.

With his hood up, he reaches the top floor of the Borgia Tower and advances toward the opened office door of his father. Sebastian is on the phone and he raises his eyes as he spies his son standing there.

”Alright Theo, I gotta go. The shit head is here now.”

Sebastian laughs at something his half-brother says then hangs up.

”Sit.”

[duke]”Shit head,”[/duke] Thaddeus begins as he takes a seat. [duke]”Real nice,”[/duke] he concludes.

”How do you feel?”

[duke]”Fine,”[/duke] he lies, but doesn’t want to admit what ails him.

”You’re not fine, Thaddeus. You look like shit.”

[duke]”I’m sore. I’m stiff. And my head is killing me.”[/duke]

”It’s because you have a concussion. Hindsight being what it is, I probably shouldn’t have used the Soul Shot on you.

“That lariat will rock the world of seasoned veterans and you don’t have a clue what you’re doing. Now that its out of your system though, go see the doctor. He’ll put you on a plan to manage your concussion.”

[duke]”It’s not out of my system.”[/duke]

Sebastian stops writing whatever it he’s writing and slams down his pen.

[duke]”It’s not a phase I’m going through, dad,”[/duke] he explains. [duke]”I really want to do this.”[/duke]

His father sighs and leans back in his chair. ”What are you, five-eleven?”

[duke]”Six-one.”[/duke]

”A buck seventy, buck eighty?”

[duke]”One sixty-five.”[/duke]

”While you rehab this concussion you can’t take contact. Ask the doc if you can weight train. You’ll need to pack on some muscle mass and some weight. If not, I’m continually going to clean your clock.”

[duke]”How long does a concussion take to heal?”[/duke]

”They don’t. At least not really. Once you have one, you’re susceptible at any time. Having rigorous physical contact while having a concussion can give you multiple concussions and pretty much make minced meat of your brain.

“Take care of it. It’s the only one you got.”

Thaddeus stands up and begins to leave, but stops at the doorway.

”What?”

[duke]”Do you think I have what it takes to do this?”[/duke] he asks without turning around.

”Are you doubting yourself?”

Thaddeus doesn’t answer.

”You better cast those doubts out of your mind, boy. When we start training for real if you have those doubts, you’ll get hurt.

“Badly.”

[duke]”I picked up leadership. I picked up flying. I picked up decision making all very easily, and quickly. This isn’t coming so easily.”[/duke]

”You have the blood of a champion running through you. You let me toss you around like a rag doll and you still want to do it. It’s only day one. You’ll get it.

“You are my son. It’ll come.”

Thaddeus turns and sits back down in his seat.

[duke]”How did you overcome? Like in the beginning when maybe you didn’t fully know what you were doing.”[/duke]

”It sounds easy, but it isn’t. I changed everything. From the ground up, I changed my move repertoire, my entrance theme, my look, my attire, how I handled myself, how I filmed my promos, how I carried myself away from the ring and in it.

“With each match, I learned more and more. Soon, losses started turning to wins. Wins started turning into championship opportunities. Those opportunities started turning into championship victories. Those championships and stringing together victory after victory is what made my legacy.

“If this is something you truly want to do, then I’m proud for you to carry that torch into the new generation. I’m proud that you’ll wear my name. I’m proud that you’ll carry on the legacy that my time there created.”

Sebastian stands up and walks around his desk. He closes his office door then sits on the edge of his desk by his son, folding his arm in front of him.

”What is it you want to achieve? Because you can’t be me.”

[duke]”You were a power guy. Obviously I’m not. I want to learn to mat wrestle. I want to learn to fly. I want to learn to counter and counter counters. I want to be the fucking best. One day, when people mention the name Duke, no offense dad, but I want them to think of Thaddeus, not Sebastian.”[/duke]

Sebastian smiles uncharacteristically.

[duke]”You said yourself Unknown Soldier was like Rembrandt. If he’s Rembrandt, I want to be god damn Picasso. I want to paint a fucking masterpiece every time I’m in the ring.”[/duke]

”Do you know why I think you’ll be okay? Why I think you’ll be a great some day?”

Thaddeus doesn’t answer.

”Because I’ve seen this burning look of passion in your eyes before. You’re a passionate young man and there isn’t a god damn thing you can’t do if you have passion for it.

“Flying jets.

“Leading war efforts.

“Fuck all that. That’s history now. You’ve found something new to fan your flames of passion and there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind, kid, that you’ll make your own mark in this industry. And its because of that passion, that I’ve agreed to train you.”

[duke]”That’s the first time you’ve ever been proud of me.”[/duke]

”C’mon, I’ll walk you to the doctor.”

The two Duke’s stand up and head for the door. Once through the door, Sebastian puts his arm around his boys shoulders.

”That’s not true,” Papa Duke begins. ”There’s so many things I’m proud of you for.”

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

”Positive reinforcement, and talking about feelings is not something we do particularly well in this family.”

[duke]”I’ll change that, when I have kids. You don’t know what its like to go through life and being confused about everything the way I am and not have your father even once tell you that you’ve made him proud. I’d never want that for my kids.

“I’d want them to know they’re loved. To know that I’m proud of them just by looking at them.”[/duke]

”Son, did you ever actually meet your grandfather? I do know what its like. I hope you follow through with that when you do have kids because had my own father ever shown any love at all, maybe I wouldn’t be the way I am with you.

“Kid I am beyond proud of you. You’re half my size, but twice the man and nothing makes me prouder than that. You have my father on a pedestal and I understand that, he was warmer to you than he ever was to me. But you need to know, that you are on that pedestal right next to him. Between me and the troops, your standing within the Illuminatus can’t be greater.

“Let’s go get your head looked at.”

And with that, what remains of the Duke legacy enters the doctors office. The scene fades as the door closes.

...Present Day...

Thaddeus sits in his office aboard Illuminatus One as he begins watching Jenny Myst’s latest promo.

Pause.

Look at the camera.

[duke]In one breath, just one breath, I’m almost good enough, but Ms. Myst claims beating me would be the upset of the night.

Month.

Year.

You can’t have it both ways dear. So dear cunt, I ask you if I’m only almost good enough, why do you consider it such a big deal and a big upset to defeat me? You are right and I’ll give you that. If you did go into Warfare and you did defeat me, it would absolutely be an upset. What you’re wrong about is pretty much everything else. Would I cry about it? No. Losses don’t upset me to the degree that I get sad and have to wipe my eyes. That’s someone else. I may be emotional and arrogant in a lot of ways Jenny, forgive me, I have a shit father and my mother is dead. I’m also rich as fuck and have a military that obeys my every command. To me, losses serve a purpose. They become a learning experience. And they set up my next string of successes.

If you did pull the biggest upset of the century it becomes exactly what it sounds like- a match that I shouldn’t have lost and a win you shouldn’t have. But let’s be real. Let’s be authentic. While I have no doubt in my mind that one day and maybe even soon, you’ll grow to become a very viable competitor in the ring, that day has not yet arrived. That day is not today, and it’s not tomorrow at Warfare. And it’s not happening at my expense. You’re just not ready yet.[/duke]

Look at the laptop. Play. Watch. Pause. Look at the camera.

[duke]Jenny, you might have noticed that I sort of know something about fighting to stay alive. Call me though, when you’re in a dogfight in the skies inside enemy territory. Call me when your controls no longer respond. Call me when you use your jet like a fucking missile to save a friends ass. Call me when you’re forced to eject and land inside that same enemy territory. Call me when you live your life with hundreds upon hundreds of bullets coming at you and whizzing by your head.

That’s what fighting to stay alive really is. Surviving in the face of imminent death. Anything less than what I’ve gone through to live, is trying to create drama where there isn’t any. It’s trying to create depth to a very shallow person.

In other words, get on my level. Because you’re not and very few are.[/duke]

Play. This time he elects to comment as he watches rather than pausing.

[duke]You’re right, I am a hell of a competitor. I promise there’s no one that reminds you of me because what you think of me and what you know of me are two entirely different and contrasting things, Jenny. Everything you think you know about Thaddeus Duke the person… is dead wrong.

Rather than a bat, which granted is long and hard, no doubt just like you like them, a gu…. Oh, you beat me to it. Well never mind then.

Yes, yes, yes. What I did to Dolly Waters. I kicked her pretty little face. We all saw it. Why must you focus your entire life story on one incident a month and a half ago? Move on. I have. Dolly has, well sort of. We all have. I’ll tell you and Dolly and anyone else still concerned that I kicked her in the fucking face and “betrayed” her, get over it. What’s done is done.

And please do, hit me a little harder. I rather enjoy physical pain. It even says so on my XWF99.com profile page.

Jenny, let me get something perfectly clear. I do not think I’m better than you, I just AM better than you. There isn’t anyone better than me in that ring. My performances speak for themselves. Win or lose, I’m the best match on the card. When I say I’m better than you, I realize it’s connotations. I realize it makes me sound over the top arrogant and equally egotistical. Let me tell you a little secret, it wouldn’t matter to me if you’re a woman or a man, you’re a fellow competitor sharing my canvas. You’re the fellow artist painting my masterpiece. What matters to me most, is the lost art of the product we provide. What matters less, the outcome.

That said, I rather enjoy winning more than losing but realistically speaking, who doesn’t? I am better than you in that ring. I pride myself on the product I provide between the bells and that has not and will not change. No matter how many pretentious cunts I kick in the face. No matter how many titles that I win or lose. No matter how many times my arm is raised, the goal is always the same: to be the god damn best. I may never be remembered as the guy with 16 world titles. I may never be remembered as the guy that went undefeated at a single event for more than two decades. I may never be remembered as the guy that dominated from bell to bell. What I will be remembered for, is stealing the show night in and night out.

Let me correct you, I don’t think I have power. I DO have power. And lots of it. If you want to think that our lives are strictly about the XWF and AX3 and that shit show power struggle between Graves and your brain dead idiot boyfriend, then you have a lot to learn about people, darlin’.

Power IS seized. Not given.

Maybe I’ll call in a fucking drone strike on your fucking condo or mansion or whatever it is you live in and show you what power really looks like. Make no mistake, I’d find out what you live in and where. And it’d take less than five minutes.

I don’t recall ever saying I hated the Kings™. My uncle is one of them. He and I don’t really see eye to eye but I don’t hate him. I don’t think he hates me. The Kings™ do their thing, so be it.

Oh honey, I am everything I say I am. If you want to bark like a bitch in heat about people who claim to be one thing but are really something else, bark up the tree of your cunt boyfriend. He claims he’s the best at what he does, you know, like someone else out there in the wrasslin’ world. He thinks he’s the best at everything, and clearly, he isn’t even the best in his stable.

The only thing you’re going to expose, is your inability to defeat me. The only thing you’re going to expose, Jenny Myst, is that you aren’t ready yet. You’ll expose, that I am what I say I am and that, dear cunt, is better than you.[/duke]

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