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Thaddeus Duke · (07-02-2017)

[duke]Monday, June 26, 2017 | 1:22 PM | Elysee Palace | Paris, France [/duke]

The flight from the United States to Paris was a long one. A quiet one. Thaddeus Duke, reeling from his own decision to execute the defectors that abandoned his father and joined his own side. Reeling from having placed a locked and loaded pistol beneath the chin of his own father. Reeling from having his own father tell him, he wished him dead.

It is easy to look at Thaddeus Duke, “all growed up” and ready to lead. It's easy to look at him and see a young man destined for great things. It's easy to look at him and completely forget that he's still just a young boy deep inside. The internal struggle he feels within burns great today. On one hand, he's taken the reigns of the Illuminatus because it was right, and it was just to do so. On the other hand, he's like any other kid at 18 years old. He just wants the love and approval of his father. You may not have noticed, but he isn't going to get it.

Today though, things for the 'blue' side of the Illuminatus are NOT going well.

The scene fades in as Thaddeus Duke and his entourage burst through the doors of the Council of Ministers chambers in Paris where the young leader just concluded a meeting with the French government. Thaddeus used a calculated threat: revoke my fathers asylum, or suffer the consequences.

It was a bluff. A stone cold bluff, and the French Prime Minister called him on it. After some choice words between the two sides, Thaddeus and his entourage are leaving the Palace, no closer to their goals of putting his father out on his ass with nowhere to turn than they were while still back at home in Connecticut.

"We could scramble the planes anyway," Lincoln Tritter suggests, his voice almost drowned out by the clap of dozens of feet as they collide with the ornate marble flooring of the Palace.

Thaddeus stops mid stride, and angered greatly. His entourage stops behind him. [duke]"And do what, Lincoln? Waste a bunch of jet fuel to figuratively stroke my dick in the French skies?"[/duke] Thaddeus shakes his head and continues toward the exit. [duke]"No, Lincoln. Thanks, but no thanks!"[/duke]

After exiting the Palace, the entourage piles into the awaiting limousine, escorted by a convoy of French police vehicles. James, Lincoln Tritter, and Thaddeus ride in the same car as the motorcade is set in motion.

"Should we consider our next move?" Jim asks, knowing that it will likely set off his younger leader.

[duke]"If I knew of a next move Jim, I'd have already fuckin' done it,"[/duke] Thaddeus says in a heightened tone of voice.

"Thaddeus," Tritter says calmly. "Maybe we should consider performing a surgical strike on his building itself. We know where he is. You've been there yourself a few weeks ago. We send in some planes, and level the fucking place."

Thaddeus stares out the window watching as traffic is rerouted to facilitate his path to the airport. [duke]"And you don't think, that the first sign of an Illuminatus warplane over French air space wouldn't arouse suspicion?"[/duke] he asks, but doesn't receive a response.

[duke]"Think about it guys,"[/duke] he begins to explain. [duke]"Say we send in planes to level the building. A result of that, is regardless of the intent or the motive, we've just committed an act of unprovoked aggression, an act of war on a foreign, peaceful nation.

"And that puts all of us in serious jeopardy. The United States, as Senator McCain pointed out, is officially neutral, but would much rather us not exist. That's exactly the type of excuse they'd look for before destroying us."[/duke]

"Jesus," Jim says as he sits beside his friend. "We're starting to lose our grip on this thing. And quickly."

[duke]"So,"[/duke] Thaddeus says as he turns his head toward his two closest advisers with a smile on his face. [duke]"Y'all ready to pull out and call it a day?"[/duke] None of them laugh at the insinuation.

"Thaddeus, I'm behind you, beside you, in front of you, wherever you want me, every step of the way," Jim says before holding out his fist for a bump, which Thaddeus returns graciously.

On board Illuminatus One, Thaddeus requested to be left alone for the duration of the flight from Paris to Berlin. James though, knows its his last chance to persuade his friend to reconsider the execution order on more than twelve thousand men. Most of them, innocent of anything more than coming to their senses.

James knocks on the door leading to Thaddeus private chambers and enters without approval.

[duke]"I though I wanted left alone, but I guess I was wrong,"[/duke] Thaddeus jokes.

"You were," Jim replies, not really laughing.

[duke]"I might have been naked,"[/duke] Thaddeus continues to joke.

"It's not anything I haven't seen before."

[duke]"I know why you're here,"[/duke] Thaddeus states. [duke]"Don't waste your breath."[/duke]

"Thaddeus, I'm your best friend, not your enabler. You make a decision and I tell you why it's good when it's good, and why it's bad when it's bad," James begins.

Thaddeus starts to boil already. [duke]"Oh spare me the..."[/duke]

"STOP!" James shouts, taking Thaddeus by surprise. In the three years they've known each other and grown as close as they are, James has never, not even once, raised his voice to him. "This idea is so far beyond bad Thaddeus, that there isn't a fucking word to describe just how fucking bad it really is!"

Thaddeus stands from his chair by the window and stands face to face with Jim. [duke]"Twelve thousand men have defected to us from my father. There is a credible threat that perhaps there's some false defectors included. There is no way..."[/duke]

"Oh my God man! Listen to yourself! You sound like your fucking father!"

Thaddeus scoffs, almost hurt that Jim would say something so categorically untrue. [duke]"I am in no way, anything like that piece of shit!

"If you so much as even THINK something like that again I swear to God, JImmy, I'll..."[/duke]

"You'll what?" Jim interrupts. "You gonna put a bullet in my skull? Drop me like a bomb from your fucking jet?"

Thaddeus steps away from James and sighs. [duke]"We both know I ain't doin' shit to you."[/duke]

"The fact is, you ARE acting just like your father right now and now I'm going to tell you how. You are losing your grip on your tactical prowess. You are ignoring advise of your advisers. More than that, you're silencing your advisers. You're not letting us even debate whether or not there's any other choices."

Thaddeus returns to his chair and puts his head in his hands with his elbows perched upon his knees. He rubs his eyes for a moment then looks at Jim, but says nothing.

"Now let me tell you why its a fucking awful idea. Killing 12,000 men is mass murder," Jim begins. "Moreover, Thaddeus, its a war crime punishable by death.

"Thaddeus, world leaders are watching you whether you know it or not. Whether you're willing to admit it or not. If you kill thousands of soldiers that defected to YOUR side, you're just as guilty as your father for blowing up that fucking school."

Thaddeus sighs deeply.

"James is right, my boy," says the old and shaky voice of Asmodeus.

Thaddeus looks around the room but sees no one other than Jim. James continues talking but he has stopped listening. Feeling ignored, James rolls his eyes and starts to pace. When Jim moves, Asmodeus is revealed to be sitting in a chair behind him.

"Mass murder child?" Asmodeus asks as he leans forward in the chair, resting his right arm upon his cane. "It sounds like something I would do, or your father even. But not you, son."

[duke]"Can we have the room?"[/duke] Thaddeus asks, turning to Jim.

Jim looks around the room before answering. "We already have the room."

[duke]"I meant me, sorry."[/duke]

Jim shrugs and shakes his head, but vacates the room.

"It is a shame, really,” Asmodeus begins. ”You could not find it within you to squeeze that trigger at the Compound. Sebastian would be dead. The war would be over. Thousands of lives would be saved.”

[duke]”I told you I don’t think I can do it,”[/duke] Thaddeus begins. [duke]”Grandfather, he’s still my father. I still hold hope that maybe when I defeat him, that we can start fresh and rebuild our relationship.”[/duke]

”It sounds wonderful, Thaddeus,” the old man says, shifting in the chair. ”But I think we both know that is not likely to happen.

“Your father is spiteful, full of pride, and envy.”

[duke]”Jim says I haven’t considered other options besides execution,”[/duke] Thaddeus replies, ignoring the comments about his father. [duke]”I just don’t see any other way. It’s 12,000 men, grandfather. That’s 12,000 defectors and 12,000 potential traitors. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing.”[/duke]

SMACK!

”Damn it, boy!” Asmodeus shouts, slamming his cane against the table beside Thaddeus. ”That is NOT the way you were groomed to lead! You were groomed to lead with a firm hand and a soft touch!

“My child, you were groomed to lead this way for a purpose! To lead in that manner, ensures the long term survival of my… our... Illuminatus. You are not a ruthless man like I was, or like your father is. You are intelligent. You are kind. You are strong. You are firm and you are fair.

“Stop letting your father dictate from afar, your actions and reactions.”

[duke]”What do you suggest then?”[/duke]

”I can not give you the answers,” Asmodeus says as he begins to fade out. ”You are a smart young man surrounded by other smart men, I have no doubt you will come up with the right answers.”

Thaddeus looks up and his grandfather is gone. He sighs deeply. [duke]”JIM!”[/duke] Thaddeus yells. Seconds later, Jim reenters Thaddeus’ quarters and takes a seat where Asmodeus was rested previously. [duke]”Where’s Lincoln?”[/duke] Just as he completes the question, Lincoln walks into the room.

”I have no idea, I haven’t seen him all day,” Jim says, while looking at Tritter.

[duke]”What are the alternatives?”[/duke]

”It’s simpler than you think,” Tritter begins. ”I’ve pulled a lot of my team from there locations throughout the continent and placed them at the base in Stuttgart. They’re currently monitoring all transmissions of communication from Asmodeus Air Base in Berlin, where the defectors were taken to.”

[duke]”Asmodeus is the single largest base we have,”[/duke] Thaddeus begins. [duke]”60,000 strong with the new defectors. More than twice what we have at any other base. How can you possibly monitor communications from so many people?”[/duke]

”We’re narrowing down as we speak,” Tritter answers. ”We should have a lock on their devices by the time we land.”

Thaddeus stands to his feet. [duke]”Cancel the execution order,”[/duke] he says to James. [duke]”We’re going to use a campaign of disinformation to dig them out, root and stem.”[/duke]

Jim sighs with a smile. ”And when we figure out who is who?”

[duke]”I’m not going to waste much time, Jim,”[/duke] he begins to explain. [duke]”Those discovered discreetly without posing a physical threat will be treated humanely. They’ll be imprisoned and interrogated.”[/duke]

”What of those that do pose a physical threat, should there be any?”

Thaddeus looks at Jim with a stone cold look on his face. [duke]”Execution,”[/duke] he answers unequivocally, untested and unchallenged.

The scene fades.

[duke]I’m not going to mince words. I’m not going to play Mr. Nice Guy and give you a fake smile or play a song and dance for you. Josh Payne, otherwise known as the Bearded War Pig, has some fucked up priorities. This man is focusing the vast majority of his energies on dropping promos, but not against me. He’s not dropping promos with the hopes of taking, or retaking in his case, the second most prestigious championship title in the entire fucking industry. He’s focusing all of his energies on teaming up with Robbie Bourbon and defeating the likes of Thomas Nixon and the clone of Brock Lesnar and I have to tell you, Robbie by himself could beat those two. He is that good. I realize the Motherfuckers are a new thing and maybe Josh is excited to work with his friend and that’s fine. It’s cool. I can understand that. I can appreciate that.

You’re burning the candle at both ends though as you focus on that tag team affair on Savage that, realistically, is a foregone conclusion. The Motherfuckers would win that match if Bearded War Pig showed up and sat at the commentary table the entire time. The other end of that candle that you’re burning Josh, is taking your eyes off the ball. Is putting me, my Xtreme title, and our big Warfare main event on the back burner. That’s a really stupid move.

What’s bigger to you, Josh? A tag team match that you two should coast through in hopes of advancing to the next round of a poorly organized tag team tournament? Or becoming the proud owner of the second most prestigious title on the planet?

“Well yeah, I’mma get to it.” No Josh. The Xtreme title isn’t something you’ll “get to.” Promoing against me is not something you “get to” if you have any realistic expectation of winning. This is the main event. This is the big time, Josh. I’ve been disrespected, until recently I’ve been under promoted, I’ve been the underdog, I’ve been laughed at and scoffed at since my debut because of the trolls and the haters that despised, and continue to despise my father. I’ve never been the star of the month much less nominated, yet I continue to win and continue to put on the match of the night in every fucking outing.

I’ve climbed as high as I am through my own grit, my own dedication, my own hard work, my own drive and determination. They don’t want me at the top because in their minds I’m nothing more than a child. A flash in the pan that gets hot quick, then fizzles out. I have worked very hard to counter that trend that so many people fall into and I've worked hard to counter that way of thinking. I became the number one contender to the Universal title at Lethal Lottery by defeating D’Ville and that broken fool Brother Ghost Septic Panzer and that’s not even the way it was booked. That was the foresight of Paul Heyman, a man that’s made his living by seeing a star before anyone else. I win that match and I’ve punched my ticket to the main event at High Stakes. A guaranteed title shot against Jim Caedus and what does management do in their infinite wisdom, knowing I have never been pinned? They throw in an overrated and over-matched Chris Chaos to make it less likely that I’d walk out of that pay per view, all of 18 years old, sorta, and the Universal champion, the top dog in the entire industry. See I made it clear that I had no interest in facing Chris Chaos for what seems like the millionth fucking time. I already proved that I was better than him and in my mind that’s where it ended. I wanted to beat Jim Caedus. I failed in that regard because Chaos was in that match and there’s no doubt in my mind that’s how the brass wanted it.

“Well yeah but he deserves a return match, because reasons.” Maybe, but he didn’t do shit to prove he ever deserved it to begin with.

Is it all in my head? Am I making connections here that simply don’t exist? I earned my spot as number one contender. I put the exclamation point on that contender spot when I defeated the former golden boy on Savage. He should have been nowhere near the Universal title match at High Stakes and that’s the truth of it. That match should have went the way it was always meant to be. Jim Caedus versus Thaddeus Duke. No

special referee stipulations. No lame ass never-was like Chris Chaos. Caedus and I were both robbed of something we both think the fans wanted to see. Who was better? Jim? Or Thaddeus? Maybe we’ll find out down the road, but we should already know the answer. Jim was robbed, the fans were robbed, just like I was robbed at finding out that answer.

Jim Caedus retained the title and if you ask him, he’d agree that he’d rather Chaos not been in that match either. Jim wanted to beat me as much as I wanted to beat him. With that ass clown bitch boy in the mix, Jim did exactly what I would have done with time running out. Take the alternative option of beating that cunt and retain the title.

I’m not fizzling out and I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay and with each fucking match, my star grows just a little brighter. Sooner or later, my name will be on the marquee as Universal champion. It’ll be my name that’s lit up in the lights while I continue to keep asses in the seats. Where will you be Josh? Will you be the Xtreme champion then? Maybe, but not at my expense. Will you be sitting atop the kingdom of tag team land with Robbie? I doubt that very much. Vincent Lane and James Raven couldn’t beat the Kings™ and they’re legitimate legends in this business.

You won’t be anything more than the big loudmouth load of pig shit you’ve always been. Why? Because you can’t prioritize and you don’t have the ability to beat people like me. Don’t beat yourself up over it though. I’ve been working here for nine months and while I have failed to secure victory in a small number of outings, not one, ever, has been able to truly defeat me. Not in the truest sense of the word, at least. Not once have my shoulders been on the mat for a three count. Not once have I ever said I quit, or I give up, or tap out. Giving up just isn’t in my DNA.

So it ain’t you, Josh. It’s me. And at Warfare I'll continue to prove why I am... better than you.

End rant.[/duke]

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