# Character State: ch-09

## Arthur Silas Vance
Location: The Construction Site / North Clearing, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Sharp, radiating chest pain masked behind a cough; tremors in hands from manual labor; dehydrated but upright.
Emotional: Stubbornly protective and secretive; experiencing a collision between his physical decay and his drive to build a "climate-proof" legacy.
Active obligations: Owes Helen a "future" that doesn't rely on the grid (Ch-09) — UNPAID; Owes the land a defense against the Avery-Quinn encroaching heat (Ch-09) — UNPAID.
Open loops: Arthur and the undiagnosed medical crisis (Ch-09) — UNRESOLVED; Arthur and the structural completion of the steel greenhouse (Ch-09) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-03—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 longevity serum is a closed-loop system designed for "cradling" only the architect class — Julian does NOT know Arthur is planning a physical exit; hides his worsening cardiac symptoms from Helen.
Arc: 40% — Arthur has committed to a physical monument of resistance, choosing the "grit" of construction over the "clean" longevity of the Annex.
Permanent: YES

## Helen Vance
Location: The Cabin Porch / Garden Perimeter, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Increasing mobility; hands steadying after the neural-graft; skin slightly sun-reddened.
Emotional: Cautiously optimistic but intuitive; sensing a "shiver" in Arthur’s rhythm she cannot yet name.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: Helen and the acclimation to the "analog" humidity (Ch-09) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 35% — Helen has transitioned from a passive patient to a tactical partner, beginning to manage the "throughput" of their survival supplies.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins — DECEASED (Ch-01)
Established: Terminated and displaced by the Alpha-7 rollout, serving as the moral catalyst for Marcus's flight.
Legacy: Her memory serves as the silent "comparator" Arthur uses to judge the morality of his own survival.

# World State: ch-09

## NPC Memory
- **The Land (Cypress Bend):** DOMINANT — The environment is "pushing back" with extreme heat, testing the limits of the newly arrived "longevity" patients.
- **The Steel (Regional Salvage):** TACTILE — The raw industrial materials Arthur is using are "un-indexed," meaning they provide a physical shield that Avery-Quinn's sensors cannot easily map.

## Faction Attitudes
- **Avery-Quinn Corp:** DISTANT/THREATENING — They are viewed by Arthur not as a provider, but as a "predatory weather system" that must be outlasted.
- **The Vances:** REBELLIOUS — They have effectively "stolen" their own lives back from the Chicago Annex, treating their health as stolen property.

## Active World Events
- **The Steel Greenhouse:** INITIALIZED — The construction of a climate-controlled sanctuary intended to bypass the "Great Hunger" and the shifting Florida seasons.
- **The Long Wait:** ONGOING — Arthur is betting his remaining physical vitality against the encroaching digital optimization of the state.