**TO:** Author (Cypress Bend)
**FROM:** Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor
**DATE:** October 26
**SUBJECT:** Editorial Review – Chapter 26: The Hiker in the Woods

---

### 1. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **Voice Consistency (Marcus Thorne):** The use of diagnostic metaphors remains perfectly aligned with the [voice-sig-marcus]. Lines like "Diagnostic: Irregular. Probability of fauna: 12%" and "Error 404: Consciousness not found" (attributed to Sarah but echoing Marcus’s world-view) maintain the established character logic. 
*   **Voice Consistency (David):** David properly utilizes cardinal directions for movement as established in his ties to Arthur's legacy—"Wind’s shiftin’ North-by-Northwest."
*   **Tactile Grounding:** The description of the hiker’s technical-shell jacket ("white synthetic insulation leaking out like the stuffing of a dead bird") provides the specific, high-fidelity contrast between the "Loop" (Chicago) and the Ocala scrub necessary for this genre.
*   **Voice Differentiation:** 
    *   **Marcus:** YES. (Boolean logic, diagnostic narration).
    *   **Sarah:** YES. (Triage jargon mixed with Texas lilt).
    *   **David/Helen:** YES. (Axiomatic, cardinal-direction focused).
    *   **Elena:** YES. (Tactical, cynical, focused on the "Mesh").

### 2. MUST-FIX — CONTINUITY
*   **The Helen Vance Anomaly:** This chapter introduces a "Helen Vance" as a living character on the porch ("Helen Vance stepped out of the shadows..."). **Chapter 01 and the [character-state] for David established that Arthur Silas Vance died alone** and David's primary obligation is to "Helen’s legacy." Furthermore, David’s character state in Ch-26 Context lists his location as "Kitchen Porch" and Helen is notably absent from the "Active Characters" list, mentioned only as a memory/legacy.
    *   **Correction:** Helen Vance cannot be physically present. Her dialogue and actions (bringing the broth) must be reassigned to Sarah or David, or framed as Marcus hallucinating/recalling her advice.
*   **The Axe Logic:** Elena is described as holding a "manual axe" in the cabin. **Chapter 10 established** that the "manual axe-throw" is a secret physical failsafe for the power line that only Elena knows it exists. Marcus "does NOT know" about this failsafe. By brandishing the axe in front of Marcus and David as a weapon, the "secret" nature of this tool as a tactical failsafe is potentially compromised or needs to be framed purely as a tool of defense to maintain the Ch-10 secret.
    *   **Correction:** Ensure Elena’s possession of the axe doesn't lead to her explaining *why* she has it in relation to the power lines, or Marcus remains oblivious to its specific secondary purpose.
*   **David’s Physical State:** The [character-state] for Ch-26 lists David as "fully healed." However, the text says "The older man moving with a tectonic steadiness." This is consistent, but ensure he does not display any lingering injury from Ch-12 unless specifically noted as a new strain. (No change required, just a monitoring note).

### 3. MUST-FIX — CLARITY
*   **The Hiker's Origin:** The hiker mentions wanting to go home to "Dallas." Sarah reacts by thinking of it as the place where she was "deleted." 
    *   **Context Check:** [voice-sig-sarah] confirms she is from the Dallas Logistics Hub. This is a strong connection, but the text "The hiker was a mirror of her own displaced life" needs to explicitly clarify if Marcus recognizes the hiker from the Alpha-7 logs or if it's purely a thematic coincidence.
    *   **Fix:** Add a beat where Marcus briefly checks the Hiker's biometric ID against the logs in his pocket to see if he’s a "named" variable in the backend he carries.

### 4. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **The "Iron" Reference:** In the server shed, Marcus tells David to "bring the iron. Not the tablet—the iron." In common parlance, "iron" usually refers to a firearm. Later, David is seen with a rifle. To maintain the "tech vs. analog" theme, a brief sentence confirming the weight of the rifle as the "iron" would strengthen the transition. (Optional).
*   **Thermal Signature Pacing:** Marcus notes the hiker is "vibrating out of sync." Adding one line about how the Sovereign Mesh attempts to "re-index" him unsuccessfully would reinforce the "World State" rules regarding the Mesh’s strain. (Optional).

### 5. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **DO NOT** remove the cardinal directions (North-by-Northwest, etc.). These are the specific verbal tics for the Cypress Bend locals/stewards.
*   **DO NOT** smooth out Marcus’s "One, two, three, four" tapping. This is a core physical habit established in his voice signature.
*   **DO NOT** change the hiker’s delirious dialogue about "violet eyes." This is a crucial plot plant for the Raven-series spiders.

### 6. VERDICT
**REVISE**
The physical presence of Helen Vance is a **Major Flag** contradiction of Chapter 01 (where Arthur's solitude and her "legacy" status are established). Once her role is reassigned to a living character, the chapter is clean.

**VERDICT: Major flags (Continuity)**