Sullivan Biotech Arcology Project
Mosenthien Island was purchased two years ago amid some controversy. There are signs pointing to blackmail, kickbacks, and even violence that Sullivan Biotech used to secure right to the island.
The strongest resistance Sullivan encountered was from a Wiccan coven that had taken up residence on the island. While the coven, known as Gaia's Beloved, had no legal rights to the island, they had been using the island for their coven's purposes for over 30 years. They fought Sullivan's acquisition of the island both legally and illegally. When their expensive lawyers failed to stop the purchase by Sullivan, Gaia's Beloved hired a small mercenary troop to help them hold the island.
Of the eight coven members and twelve mercenaries on the island, seven coven members and six mercenaries died in the assault. The remaining six mercenaries surrendered when Sullivan called in some favors, and had an airstrike from nearby Scott Air Force base hit the island. The coven's leader, Elizabeth Talbot, has not been seen since the assault. Rumors abound that she is still out there, plotting her revenge against Sullivan Biotech
After securing the island, Sullivan's first project was to build a floodwall around the entire island, with only one relatively small opening near the small peninsula where the docks are located. The five meter high, two meter wide wall is much more than a defense against flooding, as the first people who tried to cross it illegally found out. The two survivors, out of six that made the attempt, reported that the wall is studded with sensors, track guided sentry drones, and automatic gun systems. They also reported magical security, as a Water Elemental attacked them as they attempted to retreat back across the river to East St. Louis.
Once their perimeter was secured, Sullivan set up a series of prefabricated buildings to serve as housing for the construction, security, and administrative personnel staying on the island. The arcology project leader, Dr. Roger Morrow, lives on the island, overseeing every aspect of it's construction.
The latest controversy surrounding the project was in late autumn of 2057, when Sullivan began digging the huge foundation for the arcology. Official statements from the Sullivan Corporate Headquarters say that high explosives were used to blast the initial hole, because conventional digging was far too time consuming and expensive. The rumors on the street suggest that some time of orbital weapons platform was test fired at the site. Regardless of what was used, the shockwave from the blast shattered windows 3 miles away. Only the fact that most of the buildings in the downtown core had replaced simple glass with more durable plastics saved Sullivan from tens of millions of dollars in repairs. As it was, Sullivan had to pay several million in damages and the two wrongful death suits that came from the explosion.
Currently, construction on the sub-levels of the arcology have begun, with one level possibly already complete. This rumor comes from the fact that the island is hooked into the St. Louis power grid until it's own powerplant comes online in 2060, and it is drawing far more power than the prefab housing and construction crews should be needing. But, since Sullivan always pays it's bill on time, St. Louis Power Systems aren't really concerned about it.