Creating a Secret Organization

I'm once again blowing the dust off an old idea of mine, a secret organization similar to Cobra Command or Hydra... or on a smaller scale, like the Department of Paranormal Activity or MIB. This organization was going to be the unifying factor in all of my comic book or story ideas, so that I could place everything within the same universe even though the characters or stories may seem totally unrelated. Right now, I'm breaking things down in order to see what this organization would need in order to function or operate. I mean, we've all seen this, a secret organization, whether it is a department or something less legal. But where do they get their equipment? What kind of logistics do they have? What kind of delivery or transportation files do they have to work through? How do they keep all their employees quiet? How do they recruit?

And on and on and on. As you can see, it isn't as easy as I had originally thought.

If it's a department thing, it works out, as governmental black budgets cover costs, equipment, and personnel. Doesn't necessarily ensure the cooperation and silence of all the members though. But, smaller is better, much easier to control. But what if a member goes rogue or simply wants to quit? Execute him? What happens if he had a family or significant other?

I suppose the MIB would be a midway point between a full organization and a department. They are part of the government, although an independent organization. Without going into the details, they recruit from the military (or NYPD), they obtain their equipment from alien technology, and they make their money through the selling of technology when the time is "right". Silence (or secrecy) is maintained by the cause that what they are doing is for the safety and betterment of humankind, and should someone want to quit or gets unruly... mind wipe.

Then you have the full blown secret organization that has a global reach. Cobra Command and Hydra had a full armed military (sea, air and land), orbital stations, space flight capability, secret bases and headquarters. A vast amount of personnel. Funding. Manufacturers, scientists, laborers, recruiters. Housing, barracks, training facilities. We're looking at an infrastructure that rivals countries! How do you keep control? How do you maintain secrecy when an organization is so vast and far reaching?

Perhaps if I look at real world groups. There's plenty to choose from, ranging from the Skull and Bones to the Illuminati and Masons, the Rosicrucians, and numerous cults or sects. Would terrorist groups count as secret organizations? Oh, of course I cannot forget Templars. Each of these named groups hold a cause which unites the members. Some may have held secrets in order to maintain their anonymity (ie, blackmail). But the thing is, from my understanding, they all started small and recruited to a particular cause.

...

Anyway, from the beginning, this is what I think would be required.

1. There needs to be a leader. Charismatic or strong (or yes, both), someone who can motivate or influence. It'd be he who had the original idea, the one who sought out the initial group.

2. The initial group. It'd have to be a small group. Why? Look at it realistically: out of all your friends and associates and family, how many people can you actually fully trust? Be honest now. To add to this a step further, this small group would probably be people who you work with very closely. As an example, a fire team or platoon would be more united than a full division (though fire team would be tighter); the same membered squad for a fire department or EMT response would be tighter than one with rotating members. Familiarity breeds trust... so, the initial group would be a small united group that the leader trusts with his life, and they his.

3. The next step, as I see it, would be the extended group. These would be members that the initial group trusts or believes would make an ideal fit for whatever cause they are uniting under. There would be discussion, debate, probably background checks and tracking. The initial group would weed out or pick worthy members, and then present them to the leader for final approval.

** Here then is a division point. The above three levels would be all that is required for a "group". I'm talking any of the Ocean movies where they rob a casino or whatever (maybe Fast and Furious falls into this, but I've never seen those, so...). This sized group would be a minimum of, what, three, with a maximum of... ohh... let's say twelve. Using the above as a guide, I have maybe up to six people I can trust with my wanting to kill someone, two or three that I could probably count on to supply the weapon or means or disposal. AS AN EXAMPLE. So my initial group would be three because of the six, I can't say for certainty the others would be able to keep their cool. That's four people right there. Now then, with those three in the initial group, let's just say they are of similar mind and of similar circles. Why stop at the one event? They have something they've been wanting to do as well that fits in with the original scheme or cause. We now have thirteen people (leader, three initial, and then nine extended). We have a fire team (the first four) and a platoon. Can you see how the level of secrecy would work?

Okay, now we have to look at the cause of the group. If it's a crime organization, the motivator would be money and power; why else commit crime? You are then choosing to remain secret so that your actions are not known. You could be a vigilante, and in the legal definition that would be a crime, but I'll try to get into that in a bit (the same with other doing bad for good types). If you are a group that is trying to do good, why would you remain secret? For fear of what the public might say, or your family? Afraid of repercussions? Perhaps you are protecting a secret that, should it become known, would devastate an unknown amount of people (the MIB and DoPA examples fit here). Heck, you could even say that some intelligence agencies would fit the bill of being the secret good guy organization. Then there's the gray area groups, vigilantes and Robin Hood types; doing bad for the sake of good, where the end justifies the means.

If you are bad or gray, funding or obtaining equipment would be easy: you take what you can get from your events. Weapons, ammo, computers, money, vehicles... maybe even housing, at least for a time (until eviction notices start coming in the mail). If you are good, you're going to have to rely on benefactors (or, if you are a government agency, from the government); the only problem with that is that you are now adding another level to the secrecy, plus you have deviated away from the cause and are now subject to the opinions of the beneficiaries. If the good cause and the beneficiary cause are the same, it works... but human nature has shown that the beneficiary is going to want a voice, especially if he is the one supplying the organization. With that said, a secret organization, in my opinion, is going to need to be independent. They may still be a part of the government, but in order to accomplish their goals, they cannot be held accountable to the government... not when there are oversight committees, political parties swapping and switching goals every couple years, and the reliance of black budgeting.

A small criminal or gray area group can be fine as independents, but I just can't see how a good group can manage. For a good group to last, it needs to be bigger. It needs to have a public face, get public backing and support. Look at the church as an example, or the Salvation Army or a similar group. They collect proceeds and donations, they hold public charities and events where money and prizes are donated by the public. Everything they give or do is because of the public, and yet they continue to grow and make money. How?

For a large scale group, criminal and good are the best. They would be set up as a pyramid scheme (sorry, good guys). Use the three levels from above and just keep expanding it. You can see where the Mafia organization falls into this, and perhaps even the church... pope, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, and so on. Hell, the Salvation Army is organized like the military with their rankings! Funding isn't a problem, as it is still being collected at the base levels which, at this point, is huge. Equipment isn't an issue as it is either collected, donated, or bought (legal or illegal). And because of the structure, you may know what your immediate higher up is doing, but not necessarily what he is all doing... nor of his supervisor. A gray area group, by its very nature, cannot be globally huge; it may have a global impact, but it cannot be as large as the Mafia or the Church. The reason I say this is because the incentive in my opinion begins to disappear after a while... after the group takes on a particular size.

The motivation and cause for the bad group remains the same no matter what size it is: money, power, more money more power. The motivation and cause changes with the good group, going from "doing good for the sake of doing good" to "doing good for the people or as directed" to "doing good and to be a strength against non-good". With the gray area, you may start off as doing good because of a particular instance or event, but then it evolves into planning and organizing , where it eventually becomes "maintaining strength against non-good"; it gets too big and loses sight of the original cause. Too many voices, too many directions.

...

*ponders*

...

I'm trying really had to think of a vigilante group that was large. Superheroes could be counted, sure, but they're in the small to medium group. Now maybe... maybe... a large gray area group could be like a rebel alliance, contra rebels, freedom fighters, that sort of thing. But what happens when they succeed? The cause and direction are gone, and they either become the good guys (maintaining strength so they can stand against - ) or they become the bad guys (maintaining power). Okay, yeah, that sounds good. A vigilante or other gray area group cannot get too large, or else it devolves into something else. In order for a gray area group to be an effective secret organization, it needs to be kept at a small fire team to platoon sized level. I suppose you could have different chapters. One organization or banner in which a multitude of smaller chapters exist, but then each chapter would have it's own cause or direction. Each chapter has it's own specialty or area of expertise? Hmm...

Okay, I think I got a handle on things here, a good base to get things started. Even with real life examples, I can see how good / gray / bad could acquire an army. The Church has its own army, albeit foot soldiers... but historically they used to, so that's good enough; if you wanted to bring it up to modern times, I'm certain the Church could convince a country to attack something; so they have an army by proxy. The Mafia or any other cartel or crime organization has access to the black market, corrupt dictators or government officials; they have the manpower, the fire power, they just might not have the vehicles or the desire to go large scale like this. A large scale gray may have the army or resources, but they wouldn't have the staying power once things are done.

BAD - all sizes, money and power; may have some public fronts, government connections; don't want to lose power
GOOD - small and large size, medium might have too many directions or outside influence; public fronts, influence; maintain power
GRAY - small and medium groups; can lose direction

I'm going to pause here, be back soon.

Now that effective sizes are out of the way...

I cannot see how groups like Cobra Command and Hydra can exist (they're fiction, duh). Yes, I know they're fictional. But remember, I want to have my stuff as grounded in reality as I can (while still having such things as aliens, advanced technology, magic, multiple dimensions, alternate histories, and so on). The problem I am having with those groups are the areas in manufacturing, science, and recruitment / training.

I suppose recruitment wouldn't be too far of a stretch. Disgruntled former military, young ex-military, the disenfranchised. Promises of a paycheck, of food and a place to stay. Even if you first start off as a foot soldier, get promoted enough or the right training, that person could recruit a lot of his friends by his example alone. Oh, that'd be for the bad guys (duh)... the good guys really wouldn't need to actively recruit at such levels, people would be coming to them (same with a rebellion). Gray area would just need to be careful (recruit by trust).

But what of the specialists? Scientists? Weapons manufacturers? Are there enough unscrupulous experts out there that would turn a blind eye to what their employer does, simply for the sake of their work? Could an organization buy a business, a manufacturer, simply to build what they require?

...

Now that I think about it, didn't Cobra Command have their own businesses? I'm not talking about Destro and his MARS group. But yes, Cobra had numerous businesses and establishments. Crime organizations do have particular or specific places of business they will go to.

...

Sorry, got side tracked. I suppose you could find enough doctors who no longer have their license to practice, who would be willing to continue to work. You certainly aren't going to find top level theoretical physicists becoming evil mad scientists though. You could probably get scientists to work through blackmail. Hmm...

Realistically, you may not be able to supply fully armored tanks and jet attack aircraft, not like what the comics and movies would show. Some, sure. They'd have to be stolen. But you could probably get away with manufacturing several smaller lighter personal vehicles, re-purposing existing vehicles, but this then falls back to having established manufacturing facilities, a supply chain, logistics in transportation.

Here's where the smaller gray area groups would probably excel in. Being smaller, they wouldn't need as much. It'd be easier to steal one or two already made vehicles than to have them scratchbuilt. Unless, of course, you were a multi-billionaire who likes to play dress-up. But I'm talking large global scale groups, so...

Money. That's what this boils down to. A global spanning secret organization will need money, and lots of it.

I am not going to discuss orbital systems, as Space X has shown us that privately owned and operated companies can have successful space programs.

You know... with repurposed vehicles and a few stolen ones... with the right amount of money and influence and people on your cause... how hard would it be to take over a country? A small country could be taken over by force, a large country by elected officials. If the organization were truly secret, they could do such things... given the right amount of money or influence. Once at that point, you really wouldn't have to worry about personnel or scientists or manufacturing, you'd be controlling an already established system.

Sorry, got side tracked again. Did some google searching. Do you know how many armies there are in the world with less than a thousand members? And how many of those are small island nations? Let's say you were running a global secret society, and you found yourself needing to bolster your organization: could you take over a country such as these? Can access to their manufacturing? Expand your country's presence?

Would it really be that hard? The Mafia has how many foot soldiers? They would easily outnumber a small army, if you can get them to that country.

Suddenly, my idea is becoming for feasible.

Last night I was thinking a bit more on this. Could a secret organization take over a small country? Could the Mafia seize control of the Bahamas (as an example)? Or the Church? Not the Mafia take control of the Church, but could the Church take over a small country.

A gray area group could take over an installation or perhaps a base of operations. Just going by size here, and the numbers. A while back I wrote an idea about someone stumbling upon one of those long lost and forgotten about military bases in an attempt to to figure out how a vigilante group could have their equipment in one go, but keeping in mind that they'd just take items from previous events, and with the right people, you could take a base by force if needed. Not that they would though; they're gray, and even though they are looking at the final goal, they wouldn't necessarily kill guards. They could easily establish a base of operations though.

Same with the bad guys. They wouldn't take over a place by force as it would draw undo attention. Form a base of operations, sure, but not take one by force. Same would be with a small country; too much attention, could get repercussions. If they do take over a small country, it would have to be through influence. One could argue that drug cartels have done this, or that there are countries where the gangs and crime lords are in charge... but those are known. We're needing secret, so it would have to be an indirect takeover. So could it happen? Yes. Bribery, funding, blackmail, all to get key government members replaced or bought or eliminated. Get their people into positions of power, or create a shadow government.

Good guys are tricky. They can just buy a base of operations, or have a place donated to them. If they aren't a government or religious entity, that is. The only reason they would need to be hidden is if they are protectors of something, but then they would have a public face and the secret establishment. Again, they would have a public image so that they have the backing of the people. But would they have a small country? Rome is a country, more like a city state, so I guess in a way they could have a country. They wouldn't need to take one over by force though, as their influence would be so that the country would accept them with open arms.

...

Could Switzerland be considered a good guy secret organization owned country? They have a standing military, they have all these public faced good organizations, the funding...

...

Okay. I'm thinking that the gray area group could have their warehouse base of operations, or maybe a level of an apartment complex or something, but one in any number of cities (chapters or cells). I was thinking of biker gangs and such groups as Antifa, where they have a countrywide presence, but they aren't really all that vast in numbers (per group). Their total power base though could only get so high as they would not want the attention plus the distraction of having too many directions; the chapters could specialize, but would be more effective as a fire team or platoon type organization.

The bad guys could, at the most, take over a small country with influence only. They would do this in order to secure their power base (not to be confused with base of operations) in that they would then have a military or easily accessible assets and manufacturing plus infrastructure (keeping in mind this is a comic book style organization like Cobra Command or Hydra). If, in continuing my example of the Bahamas, if the organization presents a continued acceptable face, or even if they make a more widely acceptable one, they would be generating so much revenue from public sources and funding through tourism, relief efforts, and so on.

Good guys would be given an area to work out of, or they would buy one, depending on benefactor relation. They realistically wouldn't be able to take over a country, but that doesn't mean that one doesn't exist... it would have to be established as such from the beginning. They could gradually establish a city state. Hmm... with what Google and the Tesla founder have discussed with Puerto Rico, a good guy group could take over a country. "Let us come in, allow us to do this and that to better your people and to free you from the reliance of - , and all we ask in return is - ". A good guy take over would have a public face, with the secret side of things hidden.

Bad guys - secret, influence, from the shadows
Good guys - misdirection, influence

I was thinking a bit more about Elon Musk and Puerto Rico, on how the news had him saying he wanted to put in a new power grid. I was then comparing this with Cobra Command and the town of Springfield and how he gained in power and influence. I guess then this segment would be, if given enough resources (in this case, money), can you buy a town, rebuild it, and make it into a thriving community.

Short answer, I'd have to say yes.

First, I want to say that it would be far easier to take an existing town and rebuild it, than to build one from scratch. I thought a while on this, and reason that it is easier because you already have the infrastructure... the roads and utilities. Even if you need to completely take those out and put in new ones, the means to bring the trucks to site, the means to run machinery, already are present. Plus, you have a community there. They see you working, they may be able to provide manpower as well. Building from scratch, you have to make roads to bring the trucks. You'll have to run powerlines and water for the workers. You'll need to build structures for housing and manufacturing. You'll need people. Sure, if money is not an issue, no problem... but keep in mind we're trying to establish a base of operations under the public eye.

So we take a rundown town. Why not a city? Too big. Even if we work at a neighborhood, the rest of the city would grow suspicious, or it wouldn't do to bring up one area and ignore the rest. No, what we want to do is rebuild a town under the guise of "look at what we are able to do, look at the betterment we are able to provide." By making a town a shining example, other areas would be welcoming with open arms.

A village would also be workable. We want something like Wausaukee or Crivitz, nothing along the line of McAllister. Marinette might be doable if we took it as one area at a time, but the population is too big. For now, let's use Wausaukee as that's most familiar to the majority of site members here.

In taking Wausaukee, we have access to an interstate highway, a state highway, and a county highway (141, 180, and C)... I know technically 141 is a state highway, but as it merges to 41, I'm sticking to my original thought). It's located in the middle of nowhere (as far as most towns in this county goes), while still being within a small driving distance from major cities. Poor economy, rundown area, and only one factory that, should it fail, would bring down the rest of the immediate area. It's basically ripe to be taken over and improved. But, in order for this example to work, let's make Wausaukee a little more dilapidated. We'll make it so that Composites has failed, and with it's closing, the people who could have moved for different work have; with the population in decline, so to would the need for established buildings like the hardware store and the thrift stores. Wausaukee needs a boost, but because (as real life has shown us) of it's location and population density, there is no real need or desire for something big to come in.

Except us.

1. An unnamed benefactor buys the Composites building. Behind closed doors, it gets renovated into a manufacturing facility. Locals... not outside contractors, but locals... are sought after and hired to do the work in the renovating of the building, though no one is told what is coming. All that is known is that the buyer wnts to keep things local, to grow the community.

2. The area of 141 that falls under Wausaukee lines is gradually rebuilt, not with concrete and asphalt, but with (I forget what they are called) solar powered heated road panels. These are kind of neat; don't know if they work as good as claimed, but... what they are are heated panels. They are heated enough to melt any snow or ice build-up, freeing the need to plow. The panels also draw enough power to act as lights: the painted lines glow. There's enough power remaining to be stored away as well. Once 141 is taken care of (within town lines), then 180. Then C. Then the streets of Wausaukee itself.

3. Eventually, Wausaukee gets off the established power grid. Every roof on every building are solar panels. Not big massive wind turbines, but smaller house ones are installed as well. Perhaps a few big turbines come in... let's say up on The Hill. That's a nice big spot with nothing going on. OR what is built is a massive solar collector like the type Spain has: it's a massive tower surrounded by hundreds of reflectors and mirrors aimed at a central point on the tower, where it uses the heat and sun's light for a steam generator / solar collector. But how does our unnamed benefactor get away with this? How does he convince the people of Wausaukee to do this? What would you say to never having to pay for an electric bill again? Think of how many families in Wausaukee that rely on Heating Assistance... how many can use the utility money for food or medical expenses. How much a month do you pay on electricity for power and heat? For me, we were paying $300 a month; to have $3600 freed a year would be amazing.

4. So Wausaukee is now off the grid, supplying the citizens with free power. Of course, there are stipulations. Smart thermostats in the homes. Energy efficient appliances. There may be some out-of-pocket expenses, but the promise of free electricity and State aid (did you know that the state will give you $500 for putting in an energy efficient furnace?) makes it worthwhile. But what else is there? Free internet. Why? Wausaukee, at least the town itself, is a small enough area where hotspots could be put in that would cover the town in free wifi. Might not be the best, I don't know how well free wifi hotspots work, but it is there. Broadband lines are laid out throughout the town at the same time the solar panel streets are installed. A central communications hub is installed... perhaps by buying the Dollar Store building and making that into a communications center. Cable and over-the-air stations are supplied through the cable throughout the town. Not HBO or other big name broadcast stations, but stuff that can be obtained for free over the internet or through free apps. If people want to subscribe to stuff, they can, but in truth, between over-air and streaming apps, what more do you really need? How can the benefactor afford this? How can he not? Run a length of cable down a street, and splice it into every home. Has the internet changed? Have the stations been divided so that house one only gets 2-5, house two gets 6-9, and so on? No... everything is the same. Besides, keeping a population entertained... by providing them with free broadcasting and internet, you have a compliant population. You also control the information.

5. We now have free power / off-the-grid as well as free entertainment. Should we include free phones? Internet style phones, sure, but what of cell phones? I honestly haven't thought too much into that. But, along with electricity, we should consider free water. Wausaukee has an abundant water system, just needs an improved and modernized filteration system. Again, this is for the immediate town itself, not the outlying areas. When the streets were redone, so to were the pipes.

6. That's a lot of free stuff. I'm betting people would become willing slaves to have free power, heat, internet, and water. But there is a price, and that's where the factory comes in. While rebuilding Composites, the fairgrounds was bought. I recall a few years back that the county was considering relocating the fair, so this isn't too big of a stretch. The fairgrounds are bought, the manufacturing facility expanded. For the sake of this mental exercise, I don't care what kind of facility moves in. Make it an Amazon distribution center for all I care. Locals built the place, locals run and operate the utilities, having been trained by Mr X's company. All that is asked is that locals work at the facility, for a wage of course, but with certain deductions.

...

Wait, hold on, I don't like that. Can't promise free stuff, but then take money from them to pay for the free stuff. I need to think about this for a bit.

...

Okay, how about this. Local residents still get the free stuff. The houses and property that were for sale are bought up by the benefactor. Old houses are torn down, new improved houses are built. Nothing extravagant, but good solid houses with modern efficiency. A model home is also built. Begin to run ads for skilled laborers and technicians, and that those who have to relocate get an apartment. Gotta make things attractive to bring people in. Gives people incentive who are already there to better themselves in an effort to get a company house.

7. Jobs. Okay, here we go. Here's what keeps people in line. Signed confidentiality agreements. We provide you with this this and this, and as long as you keep quiet, we'll also provide this. If we were to make this truly like Cobra Command, the facility would be a munitions or weapons manufacturing site. Let's say that they only make parts 3, 8, and 14; not enough to know what is really being made, nothing to piece together. Another future town would make parts 2,5, and 12. But along with those items, we also need to be putting out a product that the public has an interest in. We need to maintain the public face, after all (that's where the Amazon distribution center comes in). Not saying that parts 3, 8 and 14 would be secret, but...

You want to start things slow and then build up. We don't want to do everything all in one place.

...

I suppose, looking at this model, we really could take over sections of rundown cities without worrying about the city at large.

...

8. In rebuilding the town, we'd also need to establish a hospital. Something to take care of our workers and the fine people of the community.

9. Once the town is up and running, it will draw the attention of other businesses. They'll move in and add to the community. It's these businesses that will help pay for the things that are free because they would be drawing on the resources. Of course, buildings would still be built with specifics in mind (solar panels and whatnot).

*sigh* Something isn't connecting right. I've gotta rethink things.

Okay, I think my problem was that I was over-thinking things. I know businesses move in to revitalize an area, and that, as an earlier example shows, Elon Musk wanted to do the same, but on a bigger scale (if Puerto Rice can be said to be "bigger"); there really isn't a need for me to try to figure out what stages or levels they develop by, as realism needs to sit in. Of course plumbing and wiring would be done at the same time as road construction. Of course given enough collectors one can go off-grid. And of course, if given enough free stuff, people would take it; some might complain, some might resist believing there is a catch, but then again, in a scenario such as this, those who are outspoken could always be removed or voted out... and by that what I mean is, say, there is a town hall meeting. Elon Musk announces what he wants to do to the town, for the residents.

"I want to bring life back into the community. Your community. But in order to do that, what I need from you is - . And in return, I am willing to {free electrical and heating, free and clean water, free television and internet}. We will be a shining example of what a town can be, what a town should be."

'Ehh, I don't trust you, you rich pompous arse. Take your money and by a politician.'

"Of course, I can only do this if everyone is on board. I don't want to force people to accept something they don't. It also wouldn't be right for the community as a whole to be treated unfairly, to divide it's citizenry."

Either the citizens will convince the loner to join, or... in seeing the news these days, if an impoverished community was given the chance to be taken care of, to have their concerns and worries alleviated, I'm fairly certain that that loner wouldn't be around for much longer.

What if too this person offered to buy your house? Completely, mortgage paid off. You get to continue living there, for free, but the title is in his name. You get free housing, free electric, free heat, free water, free television and free internet. There's only one catch: in order to obtain all of this, you have to work for him in some capacity, whether it is as a road crew member, within one of the facilities, or even as a clerk at the store. Unless you're retired, of course. We want to treat our aging citizens perfectly... with the hopes of obtaining their homes when they pass or move.

...

Would you look at the time? I've gotta wrap things up here. Until tomorrow, then.

I guess in the big scope of things, yes, it's even possible for a pre-existing organization like the Mafia to come in; they would just buy up property and houses as they became available. Looks like with my two previous posts, I was setting things up way ahead of time.

There is no need to become the "utopian" town... if we leave things normal or as they are, there would be no suspicion or investigations. In a real life secret organization scenario, that's what we want, to look and appear normal. "Nothing ever happens in this town" type of mentality. But, if we were to go the route of fictional organizations like Hydra and Cobra Command, making a model town might be more appealing. Maybe. There'd be those who would question things and want to see what's really going on, because no one does all those things out of the kindness of their heart.

Ahh, but what if we were to do a combination of the two? In keeping with the original plans and thoughts, we'd already have a small group of people. Have them move in, secure some locations, and spread from there with team members and then their associates. Influence businesses to leave (in using Wausaukee as an example, how hard would that really be); buy houses as they go up for sale.

Keep in mind that, within the village limits, there are roughly 120 houses in Wausaukee, as well as seven apartment buildings. According to Zillow, there are currently five houses for sale within the village limits, priced from $30,000 to $150,000. Scratch that, four house and one property, with the land being $107,000 for 78 acres. Can a crime family do this, come in and buy up houses? In 2014, $200,000 was seized in Green Bay; last year, a multi-million dollar drug bust occurred in Green Bay as well. There's money there, so coming in and buying up houses outright, with cash no less, is very possible. But as we're doing a combination, who's to say we can't have a rich benefactor buying the properties for the group?

Regardless, a town can be bought. With the right enterprise, business could be brought in (legal or not).

This is too funny... Bill Gates is building his own city. I guess this now proves one of my points.

Gates to build "smart" city