staging: character-state-ch-17.md task=2afabf3f-ed65-4200-b654-cc9686693e2e

cypres-bend/staging/character-state-ch-17.md

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+# Character State: ch-17
+
+## Marcus Thorne
+Location: The Riverbank / Construction Site, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Lacerations on forearms; moderate hypothermia from river immersion; extreme muscle fatigue.
+Emotional: Transformed; experiencing a profound sense of shared humanity over individual survival.
+Active obligations: Owes David his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes the group a bridge that the county can't see (Ch-16) — UNPAID; 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 (Ch-16) — 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: 90% -- Marcus has crossed the threshold from observer to physical participant, proving his commitment through sacrifice.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## David
+Location: The Riverbank / Construction Site, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Crushed ribs (suspected); severe bruising; exhaustion.
+Emotional: Indebted and shaken; his skepticism of Marcus has been replaced by traumatized respect.
+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: 85% -- David has recognized that the "analog" world requires collective trust to survive its own weight.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Sarah Jenkins
+Location: The Riverbank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Tremors in hands; mud-caked; no major injuries.
+Emotional: Fierce and maternal; stepping into a logistical leadership role under pressure.
+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: 70% -- Sarah has transitioned from a refugee to the moral and logistical anchor of the physical build.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Elena
+Location: The Workshop / Perimeter, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Smells of diesel; no injuries.
+Emotional: Calculating and relieved; viewing the group's bond as a structural reinforcement.
+Known secrets: Knows the manual axe-throw is the only physical failsafe for the legacy power line — Marcus does NOT know.
+Arc: 60% -- Elena increasingly views the human "friction" as a necessary component of her siege defense.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Helen Vance
+Location: The Cabin Porch, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: High-frequency tremor in hands; limited mobility.
+Emotional: Resolute; acting as the spiritual custodian of the work.
+Arc: 45% -- Helen is fully embracing her role as the guardian 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 track hoe and "Long Wait" tactics nearly caused a tragedy but ultimately forced the group to bond.
+
+# World State: ch-17
+
+## NPC Memory
+- County Automated Dispatch (Remote): HOSTILE -- Ignores the environmental anomalies around the Bend as "unindexed noise."
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- Avery-Quinn Corp: PREDATORY -- Drones are scanning for the rhythmic vibration of the track hoe.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Great Dark: ONGOING -- Grid instability masking the physical construction noise.
+- The 14-Week Lockdown: DAY 5 -- The calendar remains the primary driver of the build's urgency.