when half-life is over , she had said , i think you float out of the system , out into the stars . peter turned his palms up at the disk . i was still in the chair , the lamp still on , when i woke at seven to the sounds of my family stirring . do you understand the concept of knocking ? `` yeah , i vote for the plan that does n't get me killed instantly . '' he stood there for several minutes , then swung around , almost violently . 