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+# Character State: ch-15
+
+## Marcus Thorne
+Location: The Common Area, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Severe ocular fatigue; fingertips raw from manual cabling and hardware integration.
+Emotional: Paralyzed by "Systemic Vertigo." He is experiencing a crisis of agency as the Alpha-7 logs reveal the "Perfection" of his own cruelty.
+Active obligations: Owes Sarah a reality that isn't indexed (Ch-12); Owes the group a bridge the county cannot detect (Ch-16).
+Open loops: The Alpha-7 "Phone Home" sequence (Ch-13); The back-end logs containing the "Termination Logic."
+Arc: 85% — Marcus has transitioned from an architect of displacement to a translator for a logic he no longer trusts.
+
+## David
+Location: The Riverbank / Timber Cache, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Adrenaline-surging; hands stained with pine resin and calloused from manual labor.
+Emotional: Vindicated. He has found purpose in "Physicality" over "Data," treating the bridge as a literal manifestation of survival.
+Active obligations: Owes the Sanctuary a secure perimeter (Ch-12); Owes Leo a functional exit-strategy (Ch-15).
+Open loops: The looming "Great Hunger" caloric deficit (Ch-11).
+Arc: 75% — Transitioned from a desperate refugee to the physical architect of the Sanctuary’s defense.
+
+## Sarah Jenkins
+Location: The Cabin Kitchen, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Muscle tremors from hauling supplies; eyes sharp and scanning for logistical gaps.
+Emotional: Pragmatic; she has weaponized her corporate "triage" skills for survival.
+Active obligations: Owes Leo a future beyond the "Great Flight" narrative (Ch-14).
+Known secrets: Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie; she is now using that same detachment to manage the Sanctuary’s resources.
+Arc: 60% — Reclaimed her expertise, shifting from a victim of the system to its tactical coordinator.
+
+## Elena
+Location: The Workshop, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: Smelling of diesel and mineral oil.
+Emotional: Calculating. Treating the bridge construction as a tactical siege defense.
+Known secrets: The manual axe-throw is the only failsafe for the legacy power line—Marcus remains unaware.
+Arc: 55% — Fully committed to the "Architect of Friction" persona.
+
+## Helen Vance
+Location: The Cabin Porch, Cypress Bend, Florida.
+Physical: High-frequency hand tremors (longevity treatment side-effect); mobile but fragile.
+Emotional: Resolute. Guardian of the Vance legacy and the "Cardinal Logic."
+Arc: 40% — Stepped out of the "patient" role to become the Sanctuary’s moral anchor.
+
+# World State: ch-15
+
+## NPC Memory
+- County Automated Dispatch: HOSTILE. Maintains "Zero Priority" status for the bridge washout, effectively isolating the Bend.
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- Avery-Quinn Corp: PREDATORY. Drones are actively searching for "Rhythmic Anomalies." The group is countering this by using irregular timber and manual labor to mask their signature.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Great Dark: ONGOING. Power fluctuations provide the group tactical cover for construction noise.
+- The 14-Week Lockdown: DAY 4. The isolation clock is the primary driver of tension.
+- The Timber Span: Chapter 15 concludes with the physical commencement of the bridge — a "Silent Bridge" designed to evade digital detection.
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