Dreams of power
Chapter 3:
At about three o' clock in the morning Marik and Malik were almost finished with the last of the fake names.
"Uh... Marik... I'm tired. Can't 999,999 names be enough?"
"I'm tired too. But the book said at least a million, so one more."
"But we've put every name we know and every name we could make up..."
"Hmm. How about SpongeBob Squarepants?"
"What?"
"Yeah, that's good enough." Marik wrote it down and collapsed right next to Malik. "I'm tired... Goodnight Malik."
"Goodnight Marik..."
At around ten o' clock that morning Malik woke up a little earlier than Marik. He got the book out of the drawer and looked up the next step.
"Now that you have the names of everyone that would be potential voters for you, all you have to do is send it into the government office. But before you do that you have to pay the fees for the ballot. Nothing is free, for, as you'll soon learn the cost is only $50. But that is only the ballot registration fee; the real money will come when you start your campaign. You have to go to every state so you can tell the public what you're about. You know, so they'll vote for you. Plus there's the cost of posters, buttons, billboards, and traveling expenses. That's the reason why most people who run for president are filthy rich."
Malik had to let that all run through his mind one more time before he actually got the jest of it, "Marik! Marik, wake up!"
"..." He moved a little, "What is it?"
"Marik, we need to be rich to run for president."
"What do you mean?"
"Look," Malik held the book up to Marik and he scanned it.
"We have $50... I think."
"I know that. But, what about all that other money we need?"
"Hmm. Oh... that is a problem. Well, there's only one way we can get all that money."
"And how is that?"
"We need to get a sponsor."
"Who in their right mind would sponsor us?"
"I know only one person."
"Oh no, Marik. We can't!"
"Why not?" Marik got up and stretched. "Come on, we'd better get going."
"We can't ask him, he's already spent so much money on us!"
"That's why I'm convinced he'll spend more."
"You're crazy if you go."
Marik grabbed Malik by his shirt, "You mean, we're crazy if we go."
Soon, they were out the door and on the bus heading for Kaiba Corp. Malik was still whining, "He's not going to give us any money."
"Why are you so negative?"
"I'll bet you anything that Kaiba's not going to give us a cent for our campaign."
"Anything?"
"Yes, anything."
"Okay then, if Kaiba gives us the money... I want you to make me sandwiches for a year."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then I make you sandwiches for a year. Sound fair?"
"Sure," Malik shook his yami's hand, "Especially since I'm going to win."
"We'll see."
In about twenty minutes the bus arrived about a block away from Kaiba's building. Marik and Malik walked over and inside to the lobby. They got to Kaiba's floor and were about to enter the door to his office, but two very large guards were in the way.
"Hello." Marik said, "We need to see Kaiba."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"Well, no. But give our names to him anyway. I'm sure he'll want to see us right away."
"What are you names?"
"Marik and Malik."
"Wait right here," the guard went into the office and shortly came back out, "You may enter."
"Thanks." Marik and Malik walked into the office and saw Kaiba sitting at the desk across the room.
"What is it that you want, I'm very busy." Kaiba didn't look up from his laptop.
"Oh, this won't take long." Marik stepped forward, "Let me get straight to the point. We need money."
"What a surprise."
"It's for a good cause."
"I doubt that you two could come up with anything 'good' but let me hear it anyway."
"We're running for president."
Kaiba looked up, "What?!"
"Yup, and we need you to sponsor our campaign."
"Why me?"
"You're the only filthy rich guy we know."
"Gee, I feel special. Why don't you ask Bill Gates?"
"We don't know him. Please, Kaiba! It'll be like an investment. And once we get elected... we'll do something really nice for you."
"What could you possibly do for me?"
"We will..." he thought for a minute. "Declare a new national holiday! St. Kaiba Day!"
Kaiba started to laugh, "You... you'd really do that?"
"Yeah, sure. But only if you help out with our campaign. We'll even let you pick out the date. How does that sound?"
"It sounds ridiculous. But I'll do it anyway, because you seem desperate."
Marik turned to Malik and grinned. "See?"
"...I can't believe he said yes."
"I think I'll have a sandwich when we get home, Malik."
"..."
Kaiba wrote something down in his checkbook, "Here." He handed it to Marik, "This should get you started."
"Cool! A million dollars!"
"Don't shout it out for the whole world to hear!" Kaiba went back to his laptop. "No, go somewhere."
Marik and Malik went happily out the building, despite having to make his yami's sandwiches for the next year Malik was rather enjoying himself. When they got home Marik put the petition and the fifty dollars in a big envelope then mailed upstate to the official people.
"Yay!" Malik cheered, "So, does that mean were in the race now?"
"Yup, we need to start a campaign now. With the start up money Kaiba gave us we can get posters, banners, and buttons with our faces on it."
"Cool."
Chapter 3:
At about three o' clock in the morning Marik and Malik were almost finished with the last of the fake names.
"Uh... Marik... I'm tired. Can't 999,999 names be enough?"
"I'm tired too. But the book said at least a million, so one more."
"But we've put every name we know and every name we could make up..."
"Hmm. How about SpongeBob Squarepants?"
"What?"
"Yeah, that's good enough." Marik wrote it down and collapsed right next to Malik. "I'm tired... Goodnight Malik."
"Goodnight Marik..."
At around ten o' clock that morning Malik woke up a little earlier than Marik. He got the book out of the drawer and looked up the next step.
"Now that you have the names of everyone that would be potential voters for you, all you have to do is send it into the government office. But before you do that you have to pay the fees for the ballot. Nothing is free, for, as you'll soon learn the cost is only $50. But that is only the ballot registration fee; the real money will come when you start your campaign. You have to go to every state so you can tell the public what you're about. You know, so they'll vote for you. Plus there's the cost of posters, buttons, billboards, and traveling expenses. That's the reason why most people who run for president are filthy rich."
Malik had to let that all run through his mind one more time before he actually got the jest of it, "Marik! Marik, wake up!"
"..." He moved a little, "What is it?"
"Marik, we need to be rich to run for president."
"What do you mean?"
"Look," Malik held the book up to Marik and he scanned it.
"We have $50... I think."
"I know that. But, what about all that other money we need?"
"Hmm. Oh... that is a problem. Well, there's only one way we can get all that money."
"And how is that?"
"We need to get a sponsor."
"Who in their right mind would sponsor us?"
"I know only one person."
"Oh no, Marik. We can't!"
"Why not?" Marik got up and stretched. "Come on, we'd better get going."
"We can't ask him, he's already spent so much money on us!"
"That's why I'm convinced he'll spend more."
"You're crazy if you go."
Marik grabbed Malik by his shirt, "You mean, we're crazy if we go."
Soon, they were out the door and on the bus heading for Kaiba Corp. Malik was still whining, "He's not going to give us any money."
"Why are you so negative?"
"I'll bet you anything that Kaiba's not going to give us a cent for our campaign."
"Anything?"
"Yes, anything."
"Okay then, if Kaiba gives us the money... I want you to make me sandwiches for a year."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then I make you sandwiches for a year. Sound fair?"
"Sure," Malik shook his yami's hand, "Especially since I'm going to win."
"We'll see."
In about twenty minutes the bus arrived about a block away from Kaiba's building. Marik and Malik walked over and inside to the lobby. They got to Kaiba's floor and were about to enter the door to his office, but two very large guards were in the way.
"Hello." Marik said, "We need to see Kaiba."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"Well, no. But give our names to him anyway. I'm sure he'll want to see us right away."
"What are you names?"
"Marik and Malik."
"Wait right here," the guard went into the office and shortly came back out, "You may enter."
"Thanks." Marik and Malik walked into the office and saw Kaiba sitting at the desk across the room.
"What is it that you want, I'm very busy." Kaiba didn't look up from his laptop.
"Oh, this won't take long." Marik stepped forward, "Let me get straight to the point. We need money."
"What a surprise."
"It's for a good cause."
"I doubt that you two could come up with anything 'good' but let me hear it anyway."
"We're running for president."
Kaiba looked up, "What?!"
"Yup, and we need you to sponsor our campaign."
"Why me?"
"You're the only filthy rich guy we know."
"Gee, I feel special. Why don't you ask Bill Gates?"
"We don't know him. Please, Kaiba! It'll be like an investment. And once we get elected... we'll do something really nice for you."
"What could you possibly do for me?"
"We will..." he thought for a minute. "Declare a new national holiday! St. Kaiba Day!"
Kaiba started to laugh, "You... you'd really do that?"
"Yeah, sure. But only if you help out with our campaign. We'll even let you pick out the date. How does that sound?"
"It sounds ridiculous. But I'll do it anyway, because you seem desperate."
Marik turned to Malik and grinned. "See?"
"...I can't believe he said yes."
"I think I'll have a sandwich when we get home, Malik."
"..."
Kaiba wrote something down in his checkbook, "Here." He handed it to Marik, "This should get you started."
"Cool! A million dollars!"
"Don't shout it out for the whole world to hear!" Kaiba went back to his laptop. "No, go somewhere."
Marik and Malik went happily out the building, despite having to make his yami's sandwiches for the next year Malik was rather enjoying himself. When they got home Marik put the petition and the fifty dollars in a big envelope then mailed upstate to the official people.
"Yay!" Malik cheered, "So, does that mean were in the race now?"
"Yup, we need to start a campaign now. With the start up money Kaiba gave us we can get posters, banners, and buttons with our faces on it."
"Cool."