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Thaddeus Duke · (07-05-2017)

[duke]Monday, June 26, 2017 | 4:11 PM | Asmodeus Air Force Base | Berlin, Germany [/duke]

The massive engines of Illuminatus One wind down as the jumbo jet is taxied into its hangar for routine maintenance and cleaning. Once it's at a rest, Thaddeus Duke and his entourage, Jim Edwards, Lincoln Tritter, and the security detail file out of the cabin and down the steps. It's been a trying few weeks for the young man and it is beginning to reach its boiling point as he reaches the surface of the tarmac at Asmodeus Air Force Base outside the German city of Berlin.

Asmodeus is the largest base in the entire Illuminatus military. It dwarfs the others twice over. Nearly sixty thousand men and hundreds of air craft call the base home. Now, it also houses around twelve thousand defectors from the enemy military. It is unknown how many, if any at all, were sent purposely by Thaddeus' father. That's a question that still needs answered. It's a question Lincoln Tritter has been tasked with finding the answer to.

Typically speaking, a visit by Thaddeus to any of his bases, especially the air force bases, is a bit of a celebration. The atmosphere is usually relaxed and men from other bases find their way to wherever he is. Today is not that kind of visit. Today, Thaddeus meets and addresses the defectors. Today, tension is high and in contrast to past visits, Tritter, James and Thaddeus, all wear protective bulletproof vests as an added precaution.

"It's quiet," Jim observes as the trio forgoes the ride and elects to walk the tarmac.

[duke]"I could use the quiet, to be honest,"[/duke] Thaddeus admits. He walks with his hands shoved into his leather bomber jacket, and his head hung low.

"The defectors are gathered in hangar nine," Tritter informs them.

[duke]"How many men?"[/duke] Thaddeus asks.

"11,942 men."

[duke]"Your team has their coms monitored?"[/duke]

"We still have a little ways to go yet, but we're close," Tritter answers. "We're in the neighborhood of 10,000 pinned down."

Thaddeus stops dead in his tracks. [duke]"You told me you'd have them locked down by the time we landed,"[/duke] he says curtly. [duke]"I don't know if you're aware of this, Lincoln, but we have landed. I'm currently walking into, for all I know, what could be a mother fucking hornets nest!"[/duke]

"Thaddeus," Jim interrupts, noticing the agitation in Thad's voice.

[duke]"What!?"[/duke]

"Pinpointing surveillance of ten thousand men out of more than sixty in just a few hours is pretty fucking quick," Jim reasons.

"Maybe we should hold off on meeting the defectors for a couple more hours and hopefully that should buy my team time to complete their jobs."

Thaddeus resumes walking, more annoyed as the seconds tick on by. [duke]"I'm not pushing this back. I'm not waiting for your guys to do their fucking jobs, Lincoln."[/duke]

"You just said yourself you were walking into a hornets nest and you can't give an hour or two to get all our ducks in a row?"

[duke]"I'm done fucking around, Jim,"[/duke] Thaddeus replies. [duke]"I said I was walking into a hornets nest, now watch me go kick it."[/duke]

Jim and Lincoln look at each other as they near the man-door to hangar number nine. Without letting security go first, Thaddeus bursts into the hangar and looks to his left at the thousands of men lined up in formation.

"ACHTUNG!" Commander Brunson shouts at the arrival of Thaddeus. Every last man in the hangar stands at attention. Brunson gives a salute before the greeting. "General."

[duke]"Commander,"[/duke] he says after saluting back. [duke]"These are the defectors huh?"[/duke]

"Every last damn one of them, sir."

[duke]"Any suspects?"[/duke] Thaddeus whispers after leaning toward the Commanders ear.

"A few, sir," Brunson whispers back. "They're front and center."

[duke]"At ease, gentlemen,"[/duke] Thaddeus says as he approaches the formation. [duke]”I’m not in the mood to be nice so I’m going to make this short. I’ll get to the point...”[/duke]

One man jumps from formation. He rushes the young would be King from behind. ”TRAITOR!” he yells out. Jim cuts off his path and the two start to struggle. Tritter’s security force raises their weapons.

[duke]”Lower those fucking weapons!”[/duke] Thaddeus orders, knowing full well an errant shot could end the life of his friend. As Thaddeus turns to face Jim and the defiant defector, two shots ring out and both men fall to the floor. Knowing Jim is protected by a vest, Thaddeus removes his Desert Eagle from his holster and moves in with Tritter’s force behind him. They point their weapons at the defector as Thaddeus reaches down and rolls him off of Jim.

[duke]”Any last words?”[/duke] Thaddeus asks the defector as he pulls back the slide of his pistol.

”You’re a traitor. You’ve aligned with the enemy. You’ve split from the leader. You deserve to die a traitors death!”

”Thaddeus,” Lincoln says after kneeling beside Jim.

Thaddeus looks over at Tritter and notices the blood on his hand. His young heart sinks. [duke]”Oh god no!”[/duke] The young man rushes to his friends side and holsters his weapon. He falls to his knees and leans over Jim. [duke]”Where did he hit you?”[/duke]

”Right chest,” Jim says through clenched teeth.

[duke]”Get him up!”[/duke] Thaddeus orders as he tends to his friend.

”The barrel… went under the vest,” Jim says as he struggles to breathe.

Thaddeus starts opening the vest, then cradles Jim’s head in one arm while applying pressure to the wound with his other. The medics arrive quickly thereafter. As they carry him out, Thaddeus goes with them, keeping his hand on Jim’s gunshot wound.

”Do what you gotta!” Jim says to Thaddeus as they reach the door to the hangar.

Thaddeus stops. He watches them load Jim into the ambulance and turns around. With tears in his eyes he walks back toward Tritter and the defector. He stands face to face and nose to nose with the defector. Tritter’s forces hold him in place by the arms.

[duke]”Are you willing to die for your cause?”[/duke] Thaddeus asks the defector. He points back toward the door. [duke]”Because he sure as shit is willing to die for mine! I’d trade my life for his if it came to it.

“Would my father trade his life for yours?”[/duke]

”Each and every one of you are traitors.”

[duke]”Do you have any idea why I split from my father? Do you have any idea what would have happened had I not?”[/duke]

”Your reasons don’t matter. A traitor is a traitor, treason is treason,” says the man, steadfast in his resolve. ”Sebastian Duke is the real leader, the rightful leader.”

[duke]”Maybe, but you’re no closer to answering my question,”[/duke] Thaddeus states. [duke]”James Edwards is a good man. A decent human being and the best fucking friend anyone could hope for. I would die for him if need be.

“Would my father die for you?”[/duke]

The man swallows hard, but doesn’t answer.

[duke]”A few days ago, my father let me know there were some fake defectors. Do you know what my response was to that?”[/duke]

The man doesn’t answer.

[duke]”I was going to have each and every last one of you executed,”[/duke] Thaddeus says. [duke]”Tritter are the cameras rolling? I want this broadcast to the Illuminatus world.”[/duke]

”You’re live in nine countries, Thaddeus. I’m sure they’re watching.”

[duke]”Do you know why I didn’t have you all executed?”[/duke]

”Because you are weak. You do not have the stomach to do what is necessary.”

[duke]”I didn’t have you all killed, because that man you shot saved your asses.”[/duke]

”Then he’s the weak one,” the defiant defector says.

[duke]”Your name and rank sir?”[/duke]

He does not answer.

[duke]”Your name and your rank!?”[/duke] Thaddeus shouts louder.

”My name is David Johnson. Illuminatus intelligence operative.”

Thaddeus backs away from David Johnson and looks out at the other defectors.

”If Captain Edwards dies, usurper, then consider it a gift.”

Thaddeus turns his head sharply toward Johnson. He steps forward and delivers a knee to his groin. Johnson grunts and groans, then falls to his knees. After retrieving his pistol from its holster he pulls back the slide again and sticks the barrel into the top of Johnson’s forehead. He moves his arm to the left and fires, sending a round into Johnson’s left thigh. Johnsons falls to his side and Thaddeus fires five more rounds. Right thigh, right hip, right shoulder, left shoulder, left hip.

Johnson lies on the concrete, unable to move. He cries out in agony.

[duke]”Let this be a message to all of you,”[/duke] Thaddeus says, looking out over the defectors. [duke]”Most of you are genuine, I have no doubt about that. Unlike the leader you left, I protect my friends. Captain Edwards is my friend. Commander Brunson is my friend. Every man on this bases and at all my bases, are my friends.

“If Captain Edwards dies, then yes, Johnson is right. It is a gift because it’s going to tell me what I thought all along. There’s no way to know who is genuine and who is not.

“I will execute... every... last... one of you,”[/duke] he pauses. [duke]”When you retire for the night I need you to think about this. Are any of you willing to die for a leader that would never die for you? Are you willing to die for a cause that, even if it were successful, would cause you to get snuffed out regardless?

“If you think I’m standing here talking out of my ass, you’re wrong.”[/duke]

He looks down at Johnson momentarily, then back out at the defectors.

[duke]”If my cause fails, we all fail. That means yours, too. I’ve had the conversation with Senator McCain that proves just that.”[/duke]

”You have to win this war, Thaddeus,” says the Arizona Senator over the sound system. ”If not it will be the end of all of you. The United States government will be forced to stamp out the entire Illuminatus organization, from top to bottom.”

[duke]”Consider his words and decide who it is you really should align with. Help me uncover your false defector brothers. Help me pluck them out, root and stem.”[/duke]

He then stands over David Johnson and points the gun barrel toward his head.

[duke]”Your last words?”[/duke]

”Fuck you,” Johnson says through his groaning.

[duke]”You can do better than that,”[/duke] he says to the defiant defector.

”Long live… the true King...”

[duke]”That means so much to me,”[/duke] Thaddeus says. [duke]”Long live me.”[/duke]

With that, Thaddeus fires the final round into Johnson’s skull, killing him instantly. He stares down at the growing pool of blood for several seconds, then turns toward the door. Lincoln Tritter and his security force are hot on his trail as the scene fades.

[duke]If Joshua Payne is a representation of what it is to be an American soldier, then maybe I should welcome a military conflict with the United States. The man can talk the talk, but he knows he’s getting beat tomorrow night in Independence, Missouri. He knows he’s a failure at this whole pro wrestling thing. He knows he’ll lose so he isn’t even trying. He has no heart. He has no work ethic. He has no desire to do anything other than get placed upon the pedestal of heroism for his military service.

As a distinguished war veteran myself, you can take your pedestal and shove it up your ass, Josh. How many men, how many of your brothers in arms did you watch die in battle for vast expanses of oil deposits beneath some middle eastern nation under the disguise of freedom?

My men and I, we fought our wars first for the freedom to exist. Then to reclaim what was stolen from us centuries ago. Now, we fight for our very survival. Unlike the American government, we have no interest in forcing our way of life upon others.

THEY have to want it. THEY have to fight for it.

Which again, is exactly what Josh is NOT doing. He’s not fighting me in his promo’s because it is clear he does not want it. It is clear he does not have the fight in him to do it. I am not a perfect person and as good as I am between the bells, no one, NO ONE puts up a bigger fight than I do. Win or lose. No one exemplifies heart like I do.

I have a desire to be the best and I have a desire to be remembered when the dust settles upon my still, very, very young career. I have the desire, the heart, the will, the drive, the determination to be one of the best to ever step foot in that ring. Wins be damned. Losses be damned. No one remembers the wins and losses, they remember the moments. They remember the memorable matches and the thrilling finishes.

I’m certain they’ll remember Thaddeus Duke. I’m certain they won’t remember me merely because of my last name. Yes my father is a legend in this business with an impressive resume. Unlike him, I intend, and I’m doing that, to transcend the closed borders of this business. My use of social media, my charity work, my friendships with athletes in different professions- it all equals ever-expanding exposure to the Xtreme Wrestling Federation. That’s my contribution to the business that made me famous. That’s my contribution to the business that made THADDEUS Duke, and not Sebastian, a household name. Well that, and an impressive list of five star caliber matches.

Will they remember Bearded War Pig? Will they remember his exciting promos and his exhilarating matches? In order for them to remember you, Josh, you’d have to start having them first.

I could have a five star match with a fucking broomstick so surely I can elevate you and why is that exactly? Why is it, that no matter who I face, its typically the best match on the card while you flounder away, wading in mediocrity?

Because I’m better than you.

...And we both know it.[/duke]

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