# Character State: ch-24

## Elena
Location: The Server Shed / Sanctuary Node, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Tremor in right hand from high-alpha neuro-interface load; bloodshot eyes; no injuries.
Emotional: Coldly triumphant; experiencing the "after-burn" of systemic defense.
Active obligations: Owes Marcus a physical failsafe (Ch-10) — UNPAID.
Open loops: The Sovereign Mesh Integrity (Ch-24) — RESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-10—unresolved): Knows the manual axe-throw is the only physical failsafe for the power line — Marcus does NOT know.
Arc: 115% -- Elena has transitioned from a physical architect to a digital sentinel, successfully repelling a Tier-1 Avery-Quinn penetration.
Permanent: YES

## Marcus Thorne
Location: The Server Shed / Sanctuary Node, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Elevated heart rate; minor burns from a blown capacitor; caked in sweat.
Emotional: Humbled; recognizing the "latency" in his own predictive models.
Active obligations: Owes David his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes Leo a future outside the index (Ch-12) — IN PROGRESS.
Open loops: The Ocala "Ghost" Signal (Ch-22) — UNRESOLVED; The Alpha-7 Backdoor (Ch-24) — RESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie to facilitate mass firings — Julian does NOT know he kept the back-end logs.
Arc: 112% -- Marcus has accepted that "God-tier" access is a liability and has deferred tactical control to Elena’s "analog" logic.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins
Location: The Kitchen Hub (listening via Mesh-comms), Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Shaky hands; breathing shallow.
Emotional: Protective and vigilant; maintaining the "Human Baseline."
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie to facilitate mass firings — Julian does NOT know she has weaponized that detachment.
Arc: 105% -- Sarah has successfully acted as the "Empathy Buffer" during the attack, keeping the collective "Status: Active."
Permanent: YES

## Arthur Silas Vance — DECEASED (Ch-36)
Established: Died peacefully in his sleep after ensuring the "dead-zone" logic was intact.
Legacy: His legacy shielding and non-conducting infrastructure provided the physical "pockets" that the Avery-Quinn sensors could not index.

## David
Location: The Perimeter Road (Off-screen), Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Heavy breathing; gripping a rifle.
Emotional: Stalwart; trusting the "invisible" wall Elena built.
Arc: 108% -- David has fully integrated the "Sovereign Mesh" as part of his physical sentry duties.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-24

## NPC Memory
- Julian Avery (Avery-Quinn Corp): HOSTILE -- Experienced a "Sector 9 Timeout" -- Now views Cypress Bend as a "Logic Error" rather than a simple unindexed zone.

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: AGGRESSIVE -- Attempted a "Deep-Scan" penetration -- Currently recalibrating after the failure of the "Skylark" probe.

## Active World Events
- The Sovereign Mesh: ACTIVE -- Successfully withstood a Tier-1 Cyber Attack; local autonomy reinforced.
- The Great Dark: ENDED -- Replaced by the "Sovereign Mesh" as the primary atmospheric state.
- The Seed of Barter: ACTIVE -- Local regional trade stabilized by the Bend's technical security.