# Character State: ch-23

## Marcus Thorne
Location: The North Bank (Cattle Pen / Utility Shed), Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Blistered hands; lower back strain; clothes caked in wet charcoal and marl.
Emotional: Methodical; experiencing a quiet satisfaction in the primitive physics of filtration.
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 Water Reliability Protocol (Ch-23) — 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: 110% -- Marcus has transitioned from viewing water as a utility "provided by a grid" to a resource "reclaimed from the earth."
Permanent: YES

## David
Location: The North Bank (Cattle Pen), Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Breathing is steady; no recurrence of rib pain; calloused hands.
Emotional: Protective and focused; satisfied by the collaboration on the filter.
Active obligations: Owes Marcus his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID.
Open loops: The Perimeter Fence Integrity (Ch-21) — UNRESOLVED.
Arc: 105% -- David has fully stepped into the role of the "Old Hand," teaching Marcus the weight of the land's seasonal shifts.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins
Location: The Kitchen Hub, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Hair damp from humidity; hands smelling of woodsmoke and lye.
Emotional: Vigilant; managing the internal "calorie-burn" logic of the sanctuary.
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: 102% -- Sarah has finalized the kitchen as the secondary "Command Node" for the Bend's survival.
Permanent: YES

## Arthur Silas Vance — DECEASED (Ch-36)
Established: Died peacefully in his sleep after ensuring the "dead-zone" logic was intact.
Legacy: His stockpiled IBC totes and charcoal-burn instructions provided the literal hardware for the water filter in this chapter.

## Helen Vance
Location: The Porch, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Resting; hands showing a slight tremor.
Emotional: Quietly observant; seeing Arthur's foresight manifest in the men's work.
Arc: 90% -- Helen remains the living link to the "Long Wait" philosophy.
Permanent: YES

## Elena
Location: The Perimeter Road, North Bank, Cypress Bend (Off-screen).
Physical: Lean; no injuries.
Emotional: Stoic.
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: 96% -- Elena continues to manage the structural "Dark" status of the sanctuary.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-23

## NPC Memory
- Miller Family (Regional/Pork-trade): FRIENDLY -- Awaiting the next Seed Exchange -- Viewing the Bend's water security as a stabilizer for the local barter economy.

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: BLIND -- The "Sovereign Mesh" is successfully masking the thermal and acoustic signatures of the water-filter construction.

## Active World Events
- The Spring Scour: ACTIVE -- Heavy rains making the Ocklawaha unpotable without manual filtration.
- The Sovereign Mesh: ACTIVE -- Local autonomous data-grid functional.
- The Seed of Barter: ACTIVE -- Resource exchange remains the primary regional currency.