# Character State: ch-03

## Arthur Thorne
Location: Avery-Quinn Medical Annex, Chicago (Private Recovery Suite)
Physical: Residual tremors from the neural-graft; skin flushed with synthetic vitality; heart rate stabilized by the bedside monitor.
Emotional: Profoundly unsettled and cynical; experiencing "existential nausea" at the artificial renewal of his cells.
Active obligations: Owes Helen Vance a life beyond the corporate grid (ch-03) — UNPAID.
Open loops: Arthur and Julian’s "immortality contract" (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED; The structural integrity of the "sanctuary" vs. the "long game" — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: 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.
Arc: 15% — Arthur has accepted the "burden" of longevity only to use it as a weapon against the system that provided it.
Permanent: YES

## Helen Vance
Location: Avery-Quinn Medical Annex, Chicago (Observation Ward)
Physical: Ghostly pale; eyes bright with a feverish, chemical clarity; hands steady for the first time in a decade.
Emotional: Fragile but resolute; she views the "cure" as a temporary reprieve rather than a gift.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: Helen’s adaptation to the "post-human" pulse of the city — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 10% — Helen has transitioned from a terminally ill observer to an active participant in Arthur’s "Long Game."
Permanent: YES

## Julian Avery
Location: Executive Observation Deck, Avery-Quinn Medical Annex, Chicago.
Physical: Impeccable; pulse-monitored by the room’s haptics; no injuries.
Emotional: Triumphant and clinical; he views Arthur and Helen as "v0.9 hardware" successfully patched.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: Julian’s long-term "containment" of the Vance legacy (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 08% — Julian has successfully commodified the act of surviving, turning his mentor into a proprietary asset.
Permanent: NO

# World State: ch-03

## NPC Memory
- Medical Staff (Avery-Quinn Annex): DECISIVE — They treated the Vances as high-value server clusters rather than patients — Reinforces the dehumanization of the elite.

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: PREDATORY — They are using biological "updates" to ensure their primary assets never cycle out of the workforce.
- The Unscathed (Elite): COMPLACENT — They view the longevity rollout as a natural evolution of their Tier 1 status.

## Active World Events
- The Longevity Handshake: INITIALIZED — The first successful deployment of gene-therapy for the "Architect" class has been completed in Chicago.
- The Great Culling (Alpha-7): ONGOING — While the elite are "renewed," the 40% displacement of the workforce continues as a background process to fund these medical breakthroughs.