No gradual darkening, just the realization that it was starting to get dark, then, a minute or two later, darkness. We should have a couple of hours o... light left but with the clouds, I didn't know what to think.Charlie pulled over to the curb and Laurie ran up to my door, followed by her faithful companion. I got out of the car, picked her up and gave her a hug.Where's Mary?" In the house. With Mr. Danij." Do you mean 'Dandridge'?" Yeah. Dan ... d ... dridge" Charlie, your father's inside."He. When we?re through, you?ll be more than able to defendyourself until your magic comes back." She didn?t say it, but I couldhear the ?I hope? in her voice.We took the elevator back upstairs, and then climbed the stairs to thesecond floor. There were four bedrooms up here. Her Mom and Dad?s washuge. We really didn?t spend time in there. Then she and Danielleshowed me their rooms. They each were done in pastels. They also had alifesize stuffed animal of what they liked. I hoped against. Isaac was not immune from the defects that beset the station. Oxygen levels were variable: sometimes he had a boost of rather more than was good for him and sometimes he was suffocated by the lack of it. Some days the temperature was so low that Isaac's fingers were blue and numb. On other days he sweltered in temperatures that due to his observance of modesty he had to suffer in a blanket of sweat.One day, he was stranded in a section of the exercise chamber with just one other would-be martyr. " David laughed. "No worries!You had all the AEDs in the store next to you!" They laughed and drank.Alex only drank. She sat quietly. She put her right hand on her hip; theBK22 was still in its sheath on her belt. She wanted to brush her hairand check her makeup. She stopped herself. Short hair today. No makeuptoday. She adjusted Awesome Alex. Stay calm. The weekend wasn't unfoldinglike she had thought it might. The beer tasted kinda okay. She burped.She poured herself another.