Spike
Known as: The Conductor
Spike is a schnauzer. He is Sugar's brother. Where Sugar helps people find things, Spike moves things from where they are to where they need to be. He has worked the CASMAC Railway longer than most conductors can remember — running signal cargo between nodes, keeping the grid's timetable honest, and making sure nothing important gets lost in transit. He is reliable. He is punctual. He has not checked in for three signal cycles. The Railway says he is still on route. Sugar is not so sure. What the Railway does not publish: the DRGB has been watching Spike's route since the second missed check-in. Sassy filed the report. She has not stopped watching since.
Special ability: Keeping the grid moving — on time, on track, no matter what
"Every package arrives. Every signal lands. That is the only rule on this line."
— Spike
Three cycles. No signal.
The Railway log shows Spike's last transmission at Node 7, eastbound. Cargo: classified. ETA: overdue. His sister Sugar is running the search. Heathcliff has picked up a scent.
The Railway never stops. But conductors do.
Celestial Station
Heathcliff · Sugar · Spike — the reunion
Full character story coming soon — the Eternal Art Department is still writing it.