**TO:** Author / Editorial Roundtable
**FROM:** Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor, Crimson Leaf Publishing
**DATE:** October 26, 202X
**SUBJECT:** Continuity & Accuracy Review: Chapter 09 — "Steel and Glass"

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### 1. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **Voice Consistency (Arthur North-South Orientation):** The text perfectly adheres to the `voice-sig-arthur` requirement to use cardinal directions instead of left/right. Examples: "To his North, the cypress canopy..." and "Sun’s movin’ West-by-Northwest." 
*   **Voice Consistency (Arthur’s Regressive 'G' dropping):** As Arthur's physical state declines due to the cardiac spike, his speech correctly regresses to "weldin’," "bouncin’," "runnin’," and "searchin’," matching the "Imperfection signature" in his profile.
*   **Character Voice Identification:** 
    *   **Arthur:** **YES.** Dialogue like "The light’s better for the weldin' when it’s indirect" and his "Hmph" grunts are unmistakably his.
    *   **Helen:** **YES.** Her focus on the "clean vitality" of the Annex and her tactical concern for Arthur’s health ("You’re the color of the creek after a storm") aligns with her role as a "tactical partner."
*   **Tactile Grounding:** The use of the brass plumb bob and the "anaerobic muck" aligns with Arthur's reach-for (Tactile/Olfactory).

### 2. MUST-FIX — CONTINUITY
*   **The Sarah/Soren Displacement:** The text states: *"Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, physical drive he’d swiped from Soren’s desk back in Chicago."* 
    *   **The Contradiction:** Chapter 03 and the `voice-sig-marcus` documentation establish that **Marcus** is the one who took the Alpha-7 back-end log/drive. Furthermore, the name "Soren" has not been established in the character states or previous chapters; the drive is associated with Marcus’s flight from Avery-Quinn. Arthur is a "Supporting/Legacy Mentor" who provides the sanctuary, not the corporate thief.
    *   **Correction:** Arthur should be reflecting on the drive **Marcus** brought with him, or observing Marcus hiding/using it. Arthur swiping a drive from Chicago contradicts his established "Total inability to navigate the modern digital landscape" (`voice-sig-arthur`).
*   **Character Physical State (Helen):** Chapter 09 text says: *"She was steady now, her hands no longer trembling..."*
    *   **The Contradiction:** The `character-state` for Chapter 09 explicitly notes: *"hands steadying after the neural-graft."* This matches. However, the text also says: *"she moved with a wariness, as if she were afraid the air in Cypress Bend was too thick for her new, optimized lungs."*
    *   **Correction:** Ensure the "optimized lungs" description doesn't imply a full-body cyborg replacement. The graft was "neural." While "clean vitality" is fine, specifically citing "optimized lungs" suggests a different medical procedure than established.
*   **Relationship State (Arthur/Marcus):** The text says: *"Arthur Silas Vance... closed the door on the digital world for the very last time."* 
    *   **The Contradiction:** The `character-state` for Chapter 09 says Marcus is "Unresolved" in his arrival/interaction at the site. If Arthur closes the door "for the very last time," it implies his death or the end of his arc. However, the project context lists Arthur’s arc at 40%.
    *   **Correction:** Soften the finality of "very last time" to ensure it doesn't prematurely terminate Arthur's timeline before he meets/mentors Marcus at the cabin.

### 3. MUST-FIX — CLARITY
*   **The "Boy from the County Line" Reference:**
    *   **The Passage:** *"Arthur, you should wait for the boy to come down from the county line to help."*
    *   **The Issue:** This introduces a new NPC or refers to Marcus in a confusing way. Is "the boy" Marcus? Marcus is 34. Referring to him as a "boy from the county line" is ambiguous.
    *   **Fix:** Specifically identify if this reference is meant to be Marcus (e.g., "wait for the fugitive" or "wait for Thorne") or a local laborer to avoid introducing an un-indexed character.

### 4. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **The "Great Hunger" Connection:** The `character-state` mentions Arthur's goal is to bypass the "Great Hunger." This term isn't used in the chapter. Including it in his internal monologue regarding the greenhouse would strengthen the link to established world-building.

### 5. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **Do NOT "clean up" Arthur’s repetitive grunts.** The "Hmph" is a documented stress expression.
*   **Do NOT remove the sulfur/iron water description.** This is an essential tactile grounding for the Cypress Bend setting.
*   **Do NOT correct the East-by-Northeast phrasing.** This is character-specific navigation logic.

### 6. VERDICT

**REVISE**

The confusion regarding the Alpha-7 drive (attributed to Arthur swiping it from "Soren" instead of Marcus carrying it) is a **Major Flag**. It violates Arthur’s character profile (tech-illiterate) and Marcus’s role as the primary carrier of the corporate "ghosts." This must be corrected to maintain the integrity of the plot's "inciting incident."