Frank's Conundrum (take 2)

[kevin398]

Chapter 17: New Business


Frank left the dust settle before going to the main business section of the city. There he went in to talk to the land development people and when he said he wanted to buy property on the frontier they laughed at him. Sure they saw his interview...who hadn’t? But to want land you could never get to? That was just insane.

“Come on there’s got to be a way...” he mentioned as the man there told him nobody owned that land, ergo No Mans Land...and Frank saw a light at the end of the tunnel, so he pulled up a map and made a big circle around two of the lakes he had seen out there and he named them himself Lake Fish, and Lake Mirage, and he said he’d pay the fees to register his claim, and the man just shrugged saying he’d do the paperwork, but it looked like a waste of time and money to him.

But Frank owned two lakes and all the land between them that afternoon, of course they were 40 miles away but he just laughed about that. He also got hold of his contacts in the Food Devision and asked what live fish were worth and they laughed too, but not for long.

“ Many about this big...” Frank said holding out his hands as the man looked shocked.

“We raise a few hundred a year here but we harvest those when they weigh about 2 pounds.” The man said as Frank agreed, “ But something that big? We have never seen one that size since the city got started.” He declared as Frank just smiled wider still.

“How much would new fish be worth...make it worth my while and you’ll see fish bigger than you ever have before.” Frank hinted as the man had to turn his back and call his boss. Fish was a delicacy here, a rare and expensive thing, and they got 50 dollars a pound for it and many times you didn’t get a full pound either.

“My boss says we’ll set up a tank for these new fish, if you bring us enough to start raising them. We’ll pay you 100 dollars each until we see what the flesh tastes like and then we’ll decide what to do after that.” he added as Frank had to think about that for a minute.

“Tell your boss you don’t need to worry about raising them because I already am...” Frank added as the mans eyes popped. “Hundreds and hundreds and I’ll deliver for 100 dollars each.” he said as the man agreed and shook his hand and Frank said he’d call when he had some and the man gave him his private number...and Frank looked around for some barrels for free, and a medium sized 1 ton 4x4 he could get cheap.

Within a week Frank was bouncing along out through the countryside where he had bought the lakes. He had two men with him both armed and they didn’t look too happy being way out here either. But they were getting paid and as they came up a little valley in the distance was water, lots and lots of water. And Frank parked right along side the lake and he got out a rig he had invented just to try today. It was a thin rope tied to 20 feet of heavy clear line with hooks every 12 inches and he bought out two cans of corn and he added a few pieces to each hook and tied the rope to a bush right along the edge of the water.

He tossed it out and after few minutes it began to jerk and he pulled it in to see fish on it, but these were not the big things he had seen before, and he remembered they were at the lake south of here, but he decided it was still worth the effort. So he had a bucket filled half with water and he threw in everything big enough to eat, and the little ones went back into the lake. In an hour he had a bucketful, all over 10 inches long. He then kept going as as he got more attention the fish got bigger. Now he found he had several types of fish here some up to 16 inches long.And that was way bigger than the hatcheries back home raised and when he got the buckets full it was getting late in the evening and he snapped lids on the buckets and ran bouncing his way back to the city where he got stopped by the local Assault Team.

“What are you up to this time?” The Sargent asked as the team just laughed at Franks face.

“I own a couple lakes so I went fishing today.” he added as they looked like he was insane or something.

“There are fish out there?” One person asked as Frank laughed at them.

“There are fish anywhere there’s a lot of water, it seems.” he said and opened one bucket to show them the smaller fish he caught. “Anyone cook here?” he asked as one young man threw up his hand and the Sargent said he saved them from eating pre made junk for every meal, and Frank told him to ‘get a bowl’ and he ran inside. Fish were for the Elites of the city except for graduation or maybe a wedding... no normal people saw any... and Frank gave them one each, all the smaller ones he caught and in so doing made lifelong friends into even better friends, and got rid of the smaller fish that the Food Department didn’t need to see.

“Enjoy...” Frank said and went on into the city, and even the local Team got to see that good food isn’t always expensive, and they told others about what had happened and many were shocked that they got this gift, and when Frank got to the Food Processing plant the man looked surprised beyond belief, seeing fish from 12 to 18 inches long, in several types, and they weighted and counted every fish, and Frank made a few thousand that day, enough to pay for the truck he bought, and the Manger of the Food Department started telling people that he had a new source of fish, bigger and better than theirs, and more orders came in by the dozens and price was no object it seemed.

Their little fish farm had always been working for them here. But doing the same fish every year and the orders being so huge they never had enough to run it properly. So over time their harvest got smaller and smaller, now down to maybe a hundred pounds or so a year. But add to that another hundred pounds or so and things start looking better, and new fish might be grown too and a few that were still alive got saved into a tank of their own just to see if it were possible or not.

Frank told everyone he knew that fish were coming, and he’d sell them at a good price. But no one believed him for now, and after a few days he came bounding back in with another load, and gave away a dozen or more of the little ones to friends and family, and they were thrilled,and he still had enough to make a profit from the trip and the Food Department loved this since it gave them twice the food to sell, and bigger profits all around.

And the next time someone on the Council complained about Frank for something, even before they got going good they got told to leave him alone, by both the Military Representative and the Food Department.

“He’s not hurting anyone and he belongs to us.” They got told, and Frank now had nearly half the Council on his side and people all over looked shocked to see it.


Chapter 18: Businessman of the Year...and his Enemies...in the News

Frank modified his ideas about fishing slowly, and his old truck now had a 500 gallon tank on the back and he had a long handled net for getting the fish out with.He made ten of the fishing rigs and baited and threw them in then various places then left for home. Every couple days he goes back out and never comes back without 30-50 pounds of fresh fish of many kinds. His income more than paid for everything he did, and the city started seeing fish on sale in stores that never had it before, because it was getting more available than in the past.

Of course his price got changed after the first load...for one thing they didn’t think he could do it... but now he proved them wrong so now he got paid by the pound, and even then he did pretty well for himself, and people all over the city saw that going out hunting and fishing wasn’t impossible after all, and stories about someone bringing in some big lizard and sharing with his whole family got told from time to time, and poor people put their wages into buying guns and bows and food became more available to some that hadn’t had much to look forward to before.

But the Council demanded they stay inside the walls, but then did nothing to help the poor, which was over half the city, so Frank himself got asked during an interview and he warned people that danger does exist out there, and you need help and be well armed before giving it a try, and his warning echoed through the community more than the Council, because he went out there himself, and he saw the real world.

So it wasn’t impossible for the Assault Teams to see a pair or maybe three men working together out there in the abandoned part of the city. They got a few animals too, and the Teams warned them when things were too dangerous for them. But when you’re hungry you do a lot of things you might not do otherwise, and soon Frank saw people waving to him as he ran in and out and he gave a few rides home on his way in.

And the Chairman was going rabid...not only was Frank not frightened by his near death experience...he opened a new business out there...and brought in food they hadn’t seen in many years. His own Food Department reps were thrilled to death over it, and when it got mentioned they stood behind him 100%, and the military rep said that with Frank building newer and better equipment then hunting and scouting even out to 50 miles was not impossible anymore.

“NO, no no!!” Demanded the Chairman, as everyone looked surprised that he jumped up screaming like this.” I refuse to allow anyone...ANYONE to go outside the city without written permission! Call that man and tell him, no more! And tell our teams that anyone seen outside the city will be shot on sight!” He screamed, and suddenly his hatred and loathing were seen by all, and after a second to compose themselves the Council mentioned that the Chairman needed a rest... a vacation... and the vote was unanimous, all against him, and he was led from the room by guards who apologized as they walked him to his car.

“I will not be treated like this! This is MY city and you will all pay!” He was still screaming, and the other Council members waited for him to be gone, then looked at each other seriously and asked when this all started, and only one person had the nerve to say that it seemed to be centered on Frank and his need to help people, and they looked sad that one man was trying to hold back their Future, and they voted him out during his absence and sent him the message by courier the next day.

They went on the news saying that the Chairman had a mental breakdown and went on and on,threatening to kill people right in front of the entire Council, and so they removed him for his own good, and hoped he did well in his retirement, and he was so angry seeing it after all his plans that he started making calls, and hiring people to remove THEM, and even now the Intelligence Devision saw it coming and warned people to get ready,and one by one assassins got caught or killed, and evidence got accumulated against the man that would be King.

In 6 months it all hit the fan. The Chairman was demanding that since he was on the Council longer than any of them his vote was worth more than all of theirs combined. And he demanded his seat back, or in the every least his son should have it to carry on the families job there. But once again even the judges in the city reminded him that it wasn’t a job that gets handed down, and he demanded they let the people vote to see...and he threw millions into a campaign to get it done... even before the Council and judges decided wither to do it or not.

In the end he lost anyways, and after wasting a good amount of his savings he wasn’t the great threat he used to be, and people that went outside the city walked and rode right by new signs saying they did so at their own risk, and things out there started getting more seen and coming and going became a normal part of their society again.

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[kevin398]

Chapter 19: Safe Zones Revisited


The change in the Safe Zones to 30 miles left a lot of people think they were really safe out that far, and even now some got rescued because they didn’t have the firepower to be out there and got caught by some animals, usually traveling in packs. So stories of people getting caught and even killed got back to the city, and a few that were not so sure of themselves fell back and let the more adventurous and better equipped do the hunting for them. It became a job, Hunter, and they made a decent living at it since meat of any kind bought from the Food Department was far too expensive for them to afford. But buying from one of their own was different, and got sold for far less and he still made a good living, and the business was so small even the Council didn’t mind, since they could sell everything they got in anyways, and this was not even one of their areas that made any profit for them.

So new things and new jobs started making the city a better place, and as Frank’s business grew, he had someone driving his truck out to gather fish daily, and he worked on his newest machine alongside of Carl, who constantly complained that he was never satisfied.

This one was a smaller vehicle compared to the hospital design, was faster and had guns mounted under the nose. It had a small screen that showed a camera that looked through the scope sight of one gun, and he could fire it from a button on his control stick. It was pretty accurate too, out to 100 yards and that gave him and others a safe way to hunt even far from the city, and it had the power to lift even a 500 pound animal and bring it back with you.

With more people hunting professionally he saw this as a possible alternative to walking or riding some old car or truck out there. It wasn’t his most expensive either, and the guns came right off the shelf of sporting goods stores in the city, so price wasn’t too bad and ammo could be bought anywhere.

The Council got in on it too, and new licenses were demanded for pilots, and they demanded some training too, and Frank set up a training school next to his factory, and his test pilot became an instructor, and they gave out a diploma when someone passed,and the Council agreed to that too.

So now the little copters were a part of their city like never before, and soon races got started and other forms of entertainment using them, and the military liked the new machine too and Frank sold a dozen to them for their own uses, and his business got busy again for a while.

But over the last month Flora had barely seen Frank at all. He was on a roll again, said her father, and he’d be back when he slowed down. But she wasn’t one to wait forever, and she had made a decision that he was ‘the one’ and she wasn’t going back now.

But try as she might she couldn’t get Frank to return her calls, so out of desperation she came walking into the shop one afternoon, under a full head of steam, and even Carl stepped back to see her looking everywhere at once.

“Where’s Frank?” She asked as Carl said he was out testing a new machine and she looked more upset hearing that was the case.” Doesn’t he know he’s too important around here to be out flying through the Bad Lands?” She demanded, as Carl got the biggest grin and completely agreed...to her surprise.

“ Yes! Finally!!” he exclaimed as she looked pretty happy with this change of events.” I’ve been telling him for months that we have a test pilot now, and he doesn’t need to be doing this anymore!” he said as she nodded seriously and asked why he was still out there then.

“Flora....you know Frank as well as any of us do...you know he doesn’t listen to anyone anymore. If he wants to go he goes..end of discussion.” He hinted as she sighed heavily and agreed.

“I’ve tried everything...so if we work together on this maybe we’ll have a chance.” Carl hinted as she agreed, and even some of the men working there tried not to laugh, because anyone who knew Frank at all knew he wasn’t going to be forced into anything.

“I understand he sees possibilities everywhere...” She added softly,” like getting shot down then coming home with a new business out there. Thats who he is...but we need him here... not out there somewhere, and I don’t want to be a widow before I’m even married!” She said, as even Carl looked surprised she would say that right out loud.

“He proposed?” Carl asked softly as her face said it all and he smiled and looked away.

“I have faith...” She hinted softly,” if he’s ever home long enough that is! Honestly what a fool.” She said and walked out again as even Carl admitted that Frank was crazy to put her through all this and not think about her feelings too.

And when Frank landed an hour later he got the message loud and clear..stay home for a while...and he called Flora to apologize to her about being so busy, and they set up a date to go out for a nice meal that evening, and she was never happier, and maybe thought that her trip had a little something to do with it too, and kept that in mind for later.


Chapter 20: Settling in for the Long Haul


So Frank was forced to consider that he was doing better than many others. His copter business might never completely catch up to orders, and his fish hatchery was booming, now having a truck going out and returning three times a week, and the prices never went down.

He loved being out there away from the city, he felt like that was his true place and that if he gave it up completely then he’d be sorry for it. So after some thought he organized a little project, and got a large pre made building and hauled it out there to a hilltop between his two lakes where the sunsets would be spectacular and the scenery the very best.

It started out just a 20 foot square building with a nice porch and a loft above it for the master bedroom. When it was done he flew Flora out there for the weekend, and after being really tense for that first hour she left herself have fun, and swimming in a pristine lake and seeing birds and small animals seemed really nice after being born in the city where things were so crowded.

Frank mentioned he owned all this almost as far as the eye could see, and that his fish business was founded right here, in this lake and that there was enough fish here to help support the city forever, so long as people didn’t go crazy on them that is.

She admitted this wasn’t anything like she expected. The stories of huge herds of animals everywhere got all the way down to the person in the street, and she was worried they would be attacked every minute of the day, even though Frank left her know that he can fly without a machine and his abilities were more than enough to protect them from anything he had ever seen before.

So after that first hour or so they settled in for a nice break, and Flora had lots of stories to tell everyone when they returned, and she felt that if they had the chance a nice place out there it might not be so bad, but of course a 20 foot square was not her idea of a nice place.

So after a few trips without seeing the legendary hoards of animals she agreed that living out there might be nice. She also demanded a radio for communication, and entertainment, and was surprised that the entertainment channels were picked up out there too since it really wasn’t that far from their cities tower.

Frank ordered another building, this one 16 feet square and set it up close by. It had power and lights and all that too, and room for half a dozen men or women, and they hired a few people to take care of the place when no one was there. Then another add on to the main house and soon it started looking like a real home, Flora said, and Frank just laughed and went on doing what he liked and she took over making this little cabin into a real home away from home.

So surprised were many people that they had to come out to see for themselves, and one weekend Frank had a party out there with cook out and drinks and people he enver thought he’d see were there, like Flora’s father the General, saying that it was a beautiful place and he bet there was good hunting nearby, and Frank agreed.

And Carl, who never left the city for anything, but just needed to see the place that Flora had chosen as her home, knowing how very stubborn both her and Frank could be. And he liked the place too saying he enver would have imagined this place was out here, and he sat by the lake drinking and watching fish swim by and finally admitted he could get used to a place like this himself.

Frank gave a nice speech about the free land asking if it wasn’t too good to pass up?

“Imagine a farm...” he said as many thought and smiled.” fields as far as the eye can see. Raising more than enough just for us more than any farms the city could ever run. They just don’t have the room for it but out here...” he said waving his arm and people could just see it. Fields with crops as far as the eye could see, and free land? How could anyone pass that up?

His message got around pretty fast too and people who were asked about the new place and the party said they had a great time, and that not a single animal had attacked anyone, even a few that wandered off to look around for themselves.

There were some pictures and a short video and soon the entire city saw that being squeezed together for so long might not be necessary anymore. The abandoned parts of the old city got new businesses again, and people worked to restore things they ahd left before. New neighborhoods popped up and farms did get started, miles and miles from the Safe Zones, and Frank got invited to speak to the Council and he went and said many of the same things as before.

He started with what would become his trademark saying and they sat abck and listened with biug smiles.

“Imagine...” he said all smiles ,” land for free, businesses just waiting to be started, Fisheries that will last a lifetime, or longer, if properly managed.” he went on as many there did seem to be thinking about everything he said.

“Of course there’s some danger..Hell there are parts of the city I don’t want to walk through at night.” he added as some got a chuckle at that. “ but hoards of animals as far as the eye can see? Hardly...I see animals everyday and many ignore me and my family. They don’t attack they have enough to do on their own looking for food or shelter for themselves. So no, its not any worse than here, only much cleaner and with food everywhere. No one needs to starve, only be careful how you go about it, and we can move out from here, like in the days gone by and live together in prosperity!” he said as many there jumped to their feet and applauded for him and he gave them a nice bow and went home to start his family.

In his years as a Police Officer and Scout he met many people and they all liked him, or almost all did. He gave them hope for a better tomorrow and while he and Flora moved out to their little estate for good, they kept a place in the city too, and his copter factory grew even more and his fishery helped provide for the city for years to come.

But his most important donation was Hope...that people could conquer this entire land again like in the distant past... and that stuck and many did try. Some failed of course, but some didn’t and it soon became just another risk, in a world full of risks, and Frank got credit for helping to break the stagnation that held them prisoner for so long.

And in another Time and Place a Team watched on and nodded and closed that link.

“Thats one.” The man in charge said as many agreed, and they saw the History of that world getting rewritten even now and things got better down the road. And with this new start they might just add to the overall prosperity of the Universe someday, and they turned their eyes elsewhere.


End of Franks Story, there will be a few others also short showing ways one person can change a world over time, sit back and enjoy.

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