The reversed silicone rollers bit into the stapled plastic flap with five thousand pounds of hydraulic force.
A high-pitched shriek ripped through the sub-basement as four-hundred-and-ten-degree heat melted the outer adhesive. Thick white vapor puffed from the intake bed, smelling like scorched cellophane, wet slate, and burnt copper wire.
Captain Laminate jerked violently forward against the heavy cast-iron housing.
The three heavy naval brass staples Julian had driven through the wrist-cuff held fast. They anchored Store Credit Slip Number Zero and the Six-Warden Writ directly into the spinning rubber core.
“Gearbox is locked in reverse!” Lin Mei yelled over the rising whine of the motor.
She held onto the guide rail with both hands, her knuckles white. “Torque rating is green across all four banks!”
The massive machine did not crush the seven-foot titan.
It caught the loose edge of his right cuff and pulled.
