staging: character-state-ch-22.md task=d79889ab-2753-4142-8bb1-086ade358f1b

cypres-bend/staging/character-state-ch-22.md

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+# Character State: ch-22
+
+## Marcus Thorne
+Location: The Ocala National Forest (Juniper Prairie Wilderness), Florida.
+Physical: Shivering from cold; hands numb; no new injuries beyond minor abrasions from brush.
+Emotional: Humiliated but enlightened; experiencing a "hard reset" of his sensory priorities.
+Active obligations: Owes David his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes Leo a future outside the index (Ch-12) — IN PROGRESS.
+Open loops: The Seed Exchange Protocol (Ch-21) — UNRESOLVED; The Ocala "Ghost" Signal (Ch-22) — UNRESOLVED.
+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: 105% -- Marcus has accepted that his technical "God-tier" perception is a liability in a biological survival state.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## David
+Location: The Ocala National Forest (Juniper Prairie Wilderness), Florida.
+Physical: Rib-cage fully healed; moving with predatory efficiency; no injuries.
+Emotional: Stoic and paternal; focused on "indexing" Marcus into the land's logic.
+Active obligations: Owes Marcus his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID.
+Arc: 100% -- David has transitioned from a refugee to a mentor, successfully grafting Arthur’s "Long Wait" philosophy onto Marcus.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Sarah Jenkins
+Location: The Kitchen Hub, Cypress Bend (Off-screen).
+Physical: Rested; hands smelling of rosemary and flour.
+Emotional: Sovereign; managing the local "Seed of Barter" economy.
+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: 100% -- Sarah remains the stable administrative heart of the sanctuary.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Elena
+Location: The Perimeter Road, North Bank, Cypress Bend (Off-screen).
+Physical: Lean; sun-darkened; no injuries.
+Emotional: Strategically satisfied.
+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: 95% -- Elena continues to manage the physical structural reinforcement of the Bend.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Arthur Silas Vance — DECEASED (Ch-36)
+Established: Died peacefully in his sleep after ensuring the "dead-zone" logic was intact.
+Legacy: His "Long Wait" philosophy served as the curriculum for Marcus’s training in the Ocala woods this chapter.
+
+## Helen Vance
+Location: The Porch, Cypress Bend (Off-screen).
+Physical: Frail but steady.
+Emotional: Fulfilled; seeing the legacy of the land take root in Marcus.
+Arc: 85% -- Helen remains the spiritual bridge to the Vance legacy.
+Permanent: YES
+
+# World State: ch-22
+
+## NPC Memory
+- Miller Family (Regional/Pork-trade): FRIENDLY -- Viewing the Bend as the primary node for mid-winter survival commerce.
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- Avery-Quinn Corp: BLIND -- The "True Dark" status is maintained; however, the Ocala hunt revealed a latent "Ghost Signal" (unindexed hardware) in the deeper woods.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Sovereign Mesh: ACTIVE -- Permanent state of local autonomy achieved.
+- The Seed of Barter: ACTIVE -- Local trust-based resource exchange is the primary currency.
+- The Winter Lockout: ACTIVE -- Deep cold and humidity testing the "Analog" resilience of the sanctuary.