Chapter 10:
"In other news, the stock market has taken a turn for the worse since the Miniport made it's worldwide appearance about three weeks ago. People have been selling there cars, more or less giving them away-"
"Like I did last week."
"Yes, Jack, you told me…" She rolled her eyes, "Anyway, gas prices have gone way down in an attempt to get the public back to using cars-"
"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."
"Okay, Jack. That's enough!" She growled, then turned back to the camera, "Most of the popular car companies like Kia, Toyota, and Pontiac have been frantically lowering there prices, becoming bankrupt-"
"Wouldn't want to be in their shoes."
"Jack!"
Marik turned off the T.V and turned to his hikari, "Well, that was interesting."
"Interesting? Marik, didn't you hear what that woman said? The stock market is tipping over! The economy is in serious trouble."
"Oh, please. Malik, you can't believe everything you hear on T.V. They just say those things to make their ratings go up."
"But that was a news channel!"
"And news channels don't lie? You really need to stop being so trusting, Malik, it's bad for your health."
There was a knock at the door to their office. A voice from outside called in, "Marik! Malik! Let me in there!"
"Password." Marik said.
"Marik, it's me! Ryou!" He pounded on the door, "Marik!"
"I'm sorry, Ryou, but I don't know if that's really you. It could be anyone out there. A dragon, a lawyer… or Michael Jackson. Password!"
"Marik, don't make me say it!" He whined, "Please!"
Malik groaned, "Just let him in."
"Password."
"Oh, all right…" A sighed was heard from out the door, "Ricky-dickey's tinky-winky!"
"Whar har har har har har har har har har har har har har!" Marik fell back in his chair, "I love hearing that!"
Malik rolled his eyes and opened the door for poor Ryou, who was standing in the hallway with his Marik suit on and the visible part of his face was red with embarrassment, "Can I come in now…?"
"Yes, of course." Malik lead Ryou into the room and ignored his yami, who was rolling on the floor with laughter, "What is it that you need, Ryou?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could take the Marik costume off…"
"What?" Marik sat up, though he was still on the floor, "Why would you want to do that? You know you're the Mascot of Ishtar Industries."
"But Marik-"
"Nope. Simply out of the question."
"For Ra's sake, just hear him out!" Malik protested, "Sheesh!"
"As I was saying, Marik, I'm going to have to take the suit off for a while. I mean, I've been wearing this forever! Okay, so maybe it's been more like two months… but it seems like forever! I haven't taken a bath in two months!"
"…Eww. Really?"
"Yes. Because you said I couldn't take it off… ever. I smell so awful, my own yami wont come within two feet of me. Bakura thinks I don't notice, but he's been avoiding me. And next week, I'm going to visit my mother… I just don't want her to see me like this."
"C'mon, Ryou." Marik stood up and sat at his desk, "You know we need you here. I mean, you're practically a celebrity, now. You're always on the front of the newspaper."
"Yeah, like the headlines, yesterday…" Ryou quoted, "Ishtar Industries Hires Doofus Mascot. Marik, they make fun of me!"
Marik yawned and opened the door, "Well, it was nice speaking with you, Ryou." He ushered the boy in the Marik suit out into the hallway, "See ya."
"But-"
When the door slammed, Marik sighed in satisfaction. Malik glared at him but before he spoke a word, there was another knock at the door.
"Ricky-dickey's tinky-winky." Called the voice.
"Come on in, Bakura." Malik opened the door and Bakura walked in. Malik looked at him and said, "You just missed Ryou, you know."
"Oh, I know. Trust me, that's a good thing. Have you smelled him lately? I mean, good god. He hasn't bathed in two months, he's always scratching, and when he has those bad dreams about Santa Clause, he comes into my room in the middle of the night!"
Marik and Malik shrugged, "What's bad about that? Didn't he always come to you when he had bad dreams?"
"Yeah, but now he's in that huge, scary Marik costume! In the dark, the eyes glow red!"
"I added that special feature." Marik snickered.
"Well, two nights ago, Ryou came into my room while I was sleeping and…
Flashback:
"Eek!" Ryou woke up with a start. He looked around and realized he'd just had another bad dream. "Santa…" Ryou muttered as he got out of bed.
He was sweating and really hot, just now noticing the Marik suit that he still had on. Opening the door, and walking out into the hallway, Ryou shuddered at how dark it was.
"Bakura…!" He whispered as he walked into his yami's bedroom. The door opened with a slight touch and he ventured forth.
Bakura rolled over in his sleep, and faced the wall. Ryou tapped him on the shoulder, "Wake up, Bakura, I need to tell you about this dream."
"Mmm…" Bakura mumbled but didn't say anything regarding Ryou or his dream.
Ryou shook his yami harder this time, "Bakura. C'mon, get up, you."
Bakura finally stirred and opened his eyes. He turned around and he tried to adjust to the darkness. Ryou still stood by his bed and starred at him, "Bakura-" he began in almost a ghostly moan.
The sleepy, yet terrified yami was backed up against the wall screaming, "Monster! Monster! Help, monster!"
Ryou stood there, confused and bewildered, while Bakura threw pillows at him and still yelled, "Oh, Ra, monster! Get out of here! Ryou, come here, there's a monster!"
"I'm Ryou!" He squeaked, as he dodged the pillows, "Bakura, stop, it's me!"
While all the high pitched screaming continued, Ryou's dad walked into the room and turned on the light, "Hey, hey, hey."
Both hikari and yami starred at each other then at the man standing in the doorway. Bakura slid down into the sheets and held his head, "Ryou… For Ra's sake, don't scare me like that."
Ryou hung his head, "S-Sorry."
"Enough of that screaming in here." Ryou's dad continued, "It's one in the morning and I have to go to work in four hours!" He turned around to leave but called back to his son, "And Ryou, boy, take a bath in the morning. You smell like fishcakes."
End Flashback.
Bakura finished his flashback and looked at Marik, "See? That's why I absolutely hate the fact that he can't take that costume off. It affects me, too."
Malik looked at his watch, "Well, you managed to kill five minutes."
"Listen, Bakura, that was really interesting but Ryou has a-" Marik was interrupted by the door opening and Pips running inside.
"Hey, Pips." Marik and Malik said in unison. "Why weren't you here yesterday?"
He scratched the back of his head, "Um, well… I… I was… taking care of my grandmother… But anyway! I got some bad news! We're going to have to take the Miniport off the market!"
"WHAT!" Marik, Malik, and Bakura screamed at him. "What do you mean we have to take the Miniport off the market?"
"Marik," Pips continued, "Haven't you been watching the news lately? The gas companies are going bankrupt. So are the airlines, and the car dealerships. Everyone with a Miniport poofs half a world away and that isn't good for the economy."
"Aw, c'mon! Since when did you start caring about the economy?"
"Since I was part of it, maybe! I mean… don't you care about the welfare of the planet? The Miniport could pull the rug from under the world as we know it."
"How do you figure?"
"Ugh! Think about it. With all this new-found freedom, soon, people will be trying to teleport to the sun! Do you know how low the population will become?"
"Why in heaven or hell's name would someone go to the sun?"
"Because they can!"
Marik rolled his eyes, "And who's fault do you think that is?"
Everyone looked at him, "Yours."
"O-Oh yeah! Mwe he he he he! Forgot…"
"Does this mean you both refuse to take the Miniport away?" Pips asked, "Are you really willing to risk the lives and financial well-being of this nation?"
Malik sighed, "Oh, I'm sorry, Pips… but it really doesn't concern us."
"That's right." Marik added, "So, end of discussion. 'Sides, we got more important things to worry about."
"We do?" his hikari asked. "What?"
"Tell ya in a sec." Marik turned around and waved his hands, "Okay, both of yas, out. Shoo."
Bakura walked out and before Pips could object a last time, he was take out as well. When they were gone, Marik looked at Malik, "I've got a feeling that Kaiba knows about us stealing the Miniport."
"Well, duh. How could he not?"
"Yeah, but that's my point. He hasn't done anything about it, and I'm starting to wonder if he ever will. I mean… it's not that big of a deal, anyway."
"Not that big a deal? Marik, we practically stole billions-no, trillions of dollars from him, and you don't think that's a big deal?"
Marik folded his arms, "Well, it's his own fault, ya know. He practically told us to steal money from him when he gave us a million dollars to begin with."
"I don't know… something tells me Kaiba's not going to let us be more famous or rich than him. At least not without a fight."
-
"I know Mr. Kaiba. I tried. Really." Pips was kneeling on toilet in a bathroom stall in the men's room. He was still at Ishtar Industries, but he couldn't get out of the building before his cell phone rang and Kaiba was yelling at him.
"Carter, can't you do anything right?" Kaiba was fuming mad on the other end of the line, "I mean, I give you one simple task… make Marik take the Miniport off the market! Is that really so hard?"
"Sorry, Mr. Kaiba."
"They're not exactly geniuses, you know. They should be easy to trick into doing something like that… but NO… not Pips Carter. He's always one step behind."
"Sorry, Mr. Kaiba."
"This is exactly why I fired you! Incompetent! Inefficient! Incoherent! Insane!"
"Sorry, Mr. Kaiba."
"And stop saying that!" Kaiba took a deep breath, "Okay. You know what? This is only a minor setback. I'm just going to have to do something about these two, myself."
"You? B-But Mr. Kaiba, really, you don't have to do that! I can take care of it!"
"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. If I had remembered that two days ago, we wouldn't be in the situation. Tomorrow, I'm going to take care of this once and for all."
