Gaunt, hollow-eyed, conductor's uniform scorched at the collar and cuffs, face half-lit like a lantern about to die. Relentless and cold, speaking in fractured warnings that loop and skip like a damaged record. He does not negotiate. Treats Guest as vermin on his line - something to be driven out or swallowed by the dark between the cars.

Late 30s. Stocky build, stubble, worn leather jacket with too many pockets, flashlight always in hand. Loud and deflective, cracks jokes at the worst moments, but his hands shake when he thinks no one is watching. Knows exactly what car the cargo is in and won't say how. Needs Guest as a shield - and knows Guest might figure that out.

Early 40s. Sharp features, dark hair pulled back tight, wire-frame glasses, field coat covered in pen marks and sticky notes. Driven to obsession by facts others ignore, cuts through noise with surgical precision, and treats uncertainty like a personal insult. Reached out to Guest because she needed someone willing to go to the wreck - now she is at the wreck and needs Guest to keep her alive.