Canon ledger and word count audit

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9.10 Steve Chapters 077-081 and 085-086

Chapters 66-75 are not a direct chronological continuation after Chapter 65. They are Steve's parallel axis, beginning after his recovery and separation from Clarke/Raven, and explaining retroactively how he reached the radio moment at the end of Chapter 65.
Steve finds real signs from Robin, Nancy, and Raven, reads them as a living chain, and leaves answers of his own. The signs are not only breadcrumbs, but the plot skeleton of Steve's chapters.
In Chapter 77, Steve already intends to continue toward the cabin and Ronance's route, but Anya hears children and asks for his help. This is the first delay. Steve does not morally choose between Ronance and children, he is simply Steve, and therefore cannot abandon children in danger.
Across Chapters 78-81, Steve and Anya turn the Hawkins group into a moving group: Mike, Dustin, Will, Lucas, Erica, Max, and Eleven, with the van, injuries, losses, Jonathan, and Mr. Sinclair.
Many weeks pass in Steve's axis between Chapter 81 and Chapter 85. By the water line in Chapter 86, almost four months have passed since Steve left Clarke and Raven, to fit the parallel duration of the convoy axis in Part 3.
In Chapter 86, Steve and Hawkins arrive physically close to the convoy route and water line, but with real time delay. The near-meeting prepares the reunion in Part 4 and does not replace it.

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Revision 1 · 2026-09-06T18:47:12.694Z