**1. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE**
*   **The Prototypical "Analog" Metaphor:** The contrast between the Avery-Quinn "Cloud" and the physical "Weep" of hydraulics is the structural engine of this chapter. "The paint is a UI skin. It’s meant to distract you from the logic of the hydraulics." This aligns perfectly with the project's goal of moving from digital flight to physical agency.
*   **Voice Signature Consistency (Marcus):** Marcus remains tethered to his technical vocabulary even in the mud. "Boolean false," "High-alpha entry," and "physical throughput" are pitch-perfect for a man whose "processor" is redlining. 
*   **Voice Signature Consistency (Elena):** She maintains her "Logistical Architect" role, treating the auction like a blueprint. "The machines aren't the variables here. The people are."
*   **The Hook:** The opening line correctly establishes the sensory shift: "The heartbeat of Chicago was a perfectly rendered line on a glass screen, but here... the only rhythm was the wet, rhythmic thrum of cicadas."
*   **The Closing Beat:** Ending on the tactile resistance of the grease gun provides a solid "Outcome" for the chapter: Marcus has accepted physical labor as his new "syntax."

**VOICE CHECK:** 
*   **Marcus:** YES. His internal narration of "System check. Connectivity: zero" identifies him immediately.
*   **Elena:** YES. Her focus on "UI skins" and "weep" reflects a unique blend of technical literacy and survivalist pragmatism.

**2. MUST-FIX — CONTINUITY**
*   **The "Chinese Auction" Misnomer:** The text calls it a "misnomer for a grey-market clearinghouse," but doesn't explain *why* it's called that in this world. 
    *   *Correction:* Add one line of dialogue or narration explaining the term (e.g., it refers to the origin of the "unindexed" hardware or a specific type of silent-bid history).
*   **The Alpha-7 Back-End Log:** In Ch-01, this was established as a high-stakes secret. In this chapter, Marcus is "checking it" in his pocket in the middle of a crowded auction. This is a security risk for a "God-tier" developer.
    *   *Correction:* Ensure Marcus's check of the drive is more surreptitious or born of a specific paranoia that Julian is "pinging" the hardware through the auction's proximity to a cellular tower.

**3. MUST-FIX — CLARITY**
*   **The "Red Hat" Resolution:** The auction ends with Elena's "Sixteen-six" bid, but the transition from the bid to the win is slightly rushed. We don't see the tech-refugees' final "shutdown" or Red Hat’s exit.
    *   *Passage:* "Red Hat looked at Elena... He didn't bid. He sensed a depth he couldn't calculate."
    *   *Fix:* Add one sentence showing the tech-refugees physically closing their dead phones or turning away, signaling the "network" has officially folded in the face of Elena's "analog" cash.

**4. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS**
*   **The Auctioneer’s Riff (Optional):** Gable’s dialogue is good, but adding a specific reference to *why* these machines are "grey-market" (e.g., they were diverted from a Singapore port during the 'Collapse') would deepen the world-building.
*   **Sarah’s Mention (Optional):** When Marcus whispers "Sarah" at the end, it feels slightly unprompted by the immediate action. 
    *   *Fix:* Link it to the "friction" Elena mentions. Marcus realizes he was the "lubricant" that made Sarah's firing "clean," and the grease gun is his first act of "unclean" penance.

**5. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS**
*   **Do not "fix" Marcus’s technical jargon:** While "High-alpha entry" might be obscure to some readers, it is essential to his character state as a man who cannot yet speak "Human."
*   **Do not soften Elena:** Her abrasive, instructional tone is her primary character trait and must not be smoothed into "friendly mentor" territory.
*   **Do not remove the cicada/vibration motif:** The repetitive "four-beat ping" is Marcus’s grounding mechanism. It must remain repetitive to be effective.

**6. VERDICT: PASS**
The chapter successfully executes its structural mandate: Marcus **wants** hardware to build a sanctuary, faces the **obstacle** of the "friction" (Red Hat/Auction system), and achieves the **outcome** of securing analog tools. The emotional arc from technical vertigo to grease-stained reality is earned and paced correctly. The continuity and clarity issues are minor and can be addressed during the final polish; they do not require a structural rewrite.