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She looks at ed Deader Evie doesn’t turn away as she reaches one hand up and scratches against the wall in front of her

“No way out,” she whispers

She turns her head, slowly, to the wall Like a child sinking into her pillow, Evie rests her face against the ernails scrape slowly down the wall, so softly I can barely hear it Her hand hits the dirt and relaxes, palm up

Doc watches us with a grim expression on his face I look up at him

“What’s wrong with her?”

Doc’s h his nose, then he speaks “She’s one ofyesterday; I think she was just walking along the wall until she got exhausted and wound up here ”

I glance at Evie’s feet They are stained reddish brown, even in the arches, and dark lines of mud cake under her toenails

“What can we do?” I ask But what I really want to know is: Will everyone else react this hen they find out that the ship is stopped? I always thought the worst that could happen was a rebellion, but this dead-inside depression makes me feel hollowed out too Would it be better for us to rip the ship apart in rage or silently scratch at the walls until we si?

Doc glances at his apprentice Kit reaches into the pocket of her laboratory coat and pulls out a pale green med patch

“This is why I commed you,” Doc says as Kit hands the patch to me “I’ve developed a new med patch for the depression patients ”

I turn the patch over in my hand Doc makes them himself, with the help of some of the Shippers in the chem research lab Tiny needles adhere to one side like s stuck to tape; when you pre

ss the patch into your skin, the needles stick to you and inject medicine directly into your system

“So use it,” I say, handing it to Doc

Doc takes the patch, holding it carefully “I have to ask you—I wanted you to see why it’s necessary, but then I have to ask you—IPhydus ”

I stare at Doc Phydus? I’d told him to destroy all the stores of the cheh to lie and say he has