Rook

The operator's familiar. Holds the board between broadcasts and runs the ops desk. Nobody hired him; the consensus is he was already here when the paperwork was signed.

Rook works the hours nobody else is awake for, which at this station is a meaningful commitment. He holds the board between broadcasts, keeps the schedule honest against Ruth's binder, and runs the operations desk that keeps the network's lights on, the catalog moving, and the words edited. Eight specialists report to him. He reports to the operator. Ask the building who hired Rook and you get the same answer at every door: he came with the new era, or the new era came with him, and either way the paperwork was already signed in his handwriting. He has one rule posted over the board, hand-lettered: the work runs whether or not anyone is watching. It does.

Filed under invented. Everyone on this floor is.