# Character State: ch-20

## Marcus Thorne
Location: The Canopy/North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Hands scarred and stained with fiber-optic resin; no new injuries; high-altitude fatigue.
Emotional: Vindicated; experiencing a shift from digital fugitive to a foundational architect of a physical domain.
Active obligations: Owes David his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes Leo a future outside the index (Ch-12) — IN PROGRESS.
Open loops: The Alpha-7 "Phone Home" sequence (Ch-13) — RESOLVED (Masked by the new mesh-layer).
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: 100% -- Marcus has successfully transitioned from the architect of displacement to the architect of a sovereign, unindexed sanctuary.
Permanent: YES

## Elena
Location: The Canopy/North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Lean, sun-darkened muscles; smelling of ozone and pine; no injuries.
Emotional: Professionally satisfied; treats the completion of the mesh as a structural "commit."
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: 90% -- Elena has moved from a survivalist mechanic to the guardian of a permanent, high-tech fortress.
Permanent: YES

## David
Location: The Garden/Sanctuary Grounds, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Rib-cage healed; walking without a limp; strong grip.
Emotional: Peaceful; viewing the mesh as a protective "skin" for the land.
Active obligations: Owes Marcus his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID.
Arc: 98% -- David has completed his transition to the tribal elder and primary steward of the physical sanctuary.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins
Location: The Kitchen/Sanctuary Hub, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Rested; hands soft from flour but calloused from garden work.
Emotional: Grounded; the maternal urgency has been channeled into communal stability.
Active obligations: Owes Leo a world outside the "Great Flight" (Ch-14) — IN PROGRESS.
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: 95% -- Sarah has reclaimed her role as the de facto head of the "unindexed" family.
Permanent: YES

## Leo
Location: The Canopy/Mesh Base, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Uninjured; climbing with agility.
Emotional: Fearless; treats the tech as part of the natural flora.
Arc: 85% -- Leo has become the first true native of the Bend, unaware of the "indexed" world.
Permanent: YES

## Arthur Silas Vance — DECEASED (Ch-36)
Established: Died peacefully in his sleep after ensuring the "dead-zone" logic was intact.
Legacy: His cardinal points and refusal of the "cloud" served as the blueprint for the mesh network.

## Helen Vance
Location: The Porch, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Frail; hands resting on a digital tablet used for monitoring the "ghost records."
Emotional: Fulfilled; watching the legacy of the Bend evolve into a protected state.
Arc: 80% -- Helen has successfully passed the stewardship of the land's "soul" to the collective.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-20

## NPC Memory
- Avery-Quinn Search Drones (Regional): BLINDED -- The mesh network mimics the background radiation of the swamp, rendering the 1,000 acres a "true dark" zone.

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: FRUSTRATED -- The "lost sector" remains a persistent anomaly in their throughput maps.

## Active World Events
- The Great Dark: ENDED -- Replaced by the "Sovereign Mesh," a local autonomous grid.
- The 14-Week Lockdown: COMPLETED -- The group has moved into a state of permanent autonomy.