# Character State: ch-18

## Marcus Thorne
Location: The North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Shaking hands; soaked to the bone; minor rope burns on palms.
Emotional: Electrified and grounded; experiencing a rare moment of systemic alignment between his logic and the physical world.
Active obligations: Owes David his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes the group a bridge that the county can't see (Ch-16) — PAID; Owes Sarah a world that doesn't index Leo's childhood (Ch-12) — IN PROGRESS.
Open loops: The Alpha-7 "Phone Home" sequence (Ch-13) — UNRESOLVED; The structural integrity of the timber span under heavy load (Ch-16) — 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: 95% -- Marcus has transitioned from the architect of digital displacement to the literal builder of physical sanctuary.
Permanent: YES

## David
Location: The North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Severe bruising on chest; exhaustion; soaked.
Emotional: Relieved but wary; his skepticism of Marcus has reached a point of functional trust.
Active obligations: Owes Marcus his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes Leo a functional exit-strategy (Ch-15) — IN PROGRESS.
Open loops: David and the looming "Great Hunger" caloric deficit (Ch-11) — UNRESOLVED.
Arc: 90% -- David has finally accepted that the "analog" world must be built with the hands of those he once distrusted.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins
Location: The North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Muscle tremors; mud-caked; no new injuries.
Emotional: Resolute; focusing on the immediate logistics of the "New North."
Active obligations: Owes Leo a future that exists outside the "Great Flight" narrative (Ch-14) — ACTIVE.
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 same detachment for survival.
Arc: 75% -- Sarah has shifted from a refugee to a pioneer, literally crossing the threshold into a territory she helped secure.
Permanent: YES

## Elena
Location: The South Bank / Control Point, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: No injuries; smelling of diesel and pine resin.
Emotional: Vindicated; treats the successful bridge crossing as a verified structural proof.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-10—unresolved): Knows the manual axe-throw is the only physical failsafe for the legacy power line — Marcus does NOT know.
Arc: 65% -- Elena now views the group not as "friction" but as a reliable mechanical assembly.
Permanent: YES

## Helen Vance
Location: The Cabin Porch, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: High-frequency tremor; mobility limited by fatigue.
Emotional: Peaceful; acting as the spiritual custodian of the physical crossing.
Arc: 50% -- Helen identifies the bridge as the first true restoration of the Vance legacy.
Permanent: YES

## Arthur Silas Vance — DECEASED (Ch-36)
Established: Died peacefully in his sleep after ensuring the "dead-zone" logic was intact.
Legacy: His timber-framing tools and cardinal-logic were used to align the bridge that saved his survivors.

# World State: ch-18

## NPC Memory
- County Automated Dispatch (Remote): HOSTILE -- Continues to flag the riverbank as a "dead sector," unaware of the physical crossing.

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: PREDATORY -- Searching for the "vibration" of the track hoe which has now crossed the river.

## Active World Events
- The Great Dark: ONGOING -- Atmospheric interference providing cover for the North Bank move.
- The 14-Week Lockdown: DAY 6 -- The successful crossing creates a viable "unindexed" pocket for the group to endure the lock-out.