Abstract

The lug nut was stuck. Ham tried to find better leverage. He reached across the corridor and rammed one end of his pike into the soft pleather. Now he tried again, and the lug came loose with ease, allowing the wheelchair wheel to detach from its axle. Ham carefully sprinkled oil into the elderly screw housing, careful not to let any of the precious fluid lift off into the air. Reassembling it all, he patted Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel had been patiently watching. Daniel engaged the electromagnet that kept him attached to an arbitrary ‘down’ in the corridor and pressed the joystick forward. He rolled.