The following day, Anton was moved to a different part of the institute. The living standards were certainly an improvement. He was put into a larger room, which he shared with a male roommate the same age, with an adjoining bathroom, two good beds, a clothes drawer for extra uniforms (which were better than the ones he wore earlier), a small lamp, and a larger window. He and his roommate were seldom confined to the room, except for the "lights out" period for sleeping hours. Except for this and the schooling hours in class, the mealtimes in the cafeteria, the pep rallies in the auditorium, and the assigned chores (sweeping the floors, cooking, etc.) with other inmates, which he had to do, and several rooms off limits to some of the inmates, Anton could walk about this part of the institute without restriction. There wasn't much else to go to besides the quarters of other inmates, where he could talk to other older boys and young men, but at least he wasn't confined to a cell.
Naturally, the better conditions had a catch. The schoolwork in the classroom, a small room that several other inmates Anton's age shared with him, constantly emphasized communism, especially in history. The pep rallies were held once a day at the hour before lunch. The auditorium where the rallies were held was large enough for all the inmates of this part of the institute. There, they were fed propaganda in speech, paper, and film about the glory of the Russian State and its Premier. This was done mostly by the institute staff, but in most rallies an inmate would contribute something. It was usually an essay that either one of the staff would read to the inmates, or he would read it himself. If the inmate did well, he was given a small reward.
There were many privileges for favored inmates. There was access to one of the several rooms off limits to other inmates, two game rooms (one had video games), a library, a small movie theater, and a small gymnasium. There was also access to the outdoor sports field, and to better food in the cafeteria. There were other privileges. There was a rumor that some model inmates were allowed to visit the women's section of the institute, which was officially forbidden to male inmates. If an inmate did well enough, he was given a graduation ceremony and then discharged.
Anton's roommate was a very moody person, so the two never developed much of a freindship. Anton kept his opinions to himself, especially during the pep rallies. When the other inmates cheered, he cheered like anyone else. He tried to keep from standing out too much, but only a week after he had been moved to this part of the institute, his file attracted attention for him.
Anton was in his room by himself looking out the window at some other inmates play a soccer game when one of the institute staff came in. He was carrying a small briefcase, and appeared to be in a moderately good mood.
"Anton Sheradnadze," he calmly spoke, "could I have a word with you."
"Sure." Anton replied in a manner that suggested confidence, but he was naturally worried why the man would take the trouble to come here.
"According to your records, you have a great knowledge of history."
"I did read it a lot, yes."
"Then perhaps you could write something for an upcoming rally." The man took some pencil and paper out of his briefcase and put them on the top of the clothes drawer.
"Write something?"
"We would appreciate it. It's strictly voluntary of course, but you look like you could use something to do, such as a libary pass."
"I could certainly use that." Anton's voice showed a degree of excitement.
"You know where the office is, just let us know when you're finished." The staff man then left the room.
Anton thought about this. He didn't want to tell any lies and add to the false glory, especialy after what it did to his parents. Yet by doing it, the staff would get the impression that he was "recovering" and put him one step closer to release. He decided to write an essay with no outright lies, but lacking enough truths to gain the staff's favor. He didn't like it but he reasoned while it would help the State for the moment, it would soon contribute to its peril.
The following day at the rally, one of the staff read aloud Anton's essay on the Soviet Union's role during World War Two. Things like Stalin's atrocities and America's Lend Lease program were not mentioned, but the paper gave support to the Russian people rather than the Soviet state. Despite that, the staff had done very little editing on the essay. It drew more applause from the inmates than most of the other propaganda pieces. After the rally, the staff member who had asked Anton to write the paper went back to Anton's room.
"So how did it go?" Anton asked him.
"Not bad for a beginner." the man spoke humorously. He gave Anton a pass to the library.
"Thank you." Anton wanted to give the impression that he was 'recovering' quickly.
"You earned it. Keep it up." The man then left.
As the weeks passed, Jerry-Anton continued to do well in both countries. Jerry did better and better at his father's computer, with Steven's help. He was soon able to create very detailed programs and know every inch of how they worked. Steven's computer had one important difference with Jerry's: a modem, a device that connected the computer with other computers by the phone lines. With it, Jerry was able to contact other computer enthusiasts. They would talk to each other (by typed words), leave messages, and play games.
There was one game in particular that caught Jerry's attention: breaking and entering. It could be played by two or more computer enthusiasts. Each one would access the other computer(s), access a certain program, and leave some evidence that it was broken into. To prevent others from breaking into his (or her) programs, the programer would put up one or more barriers. Usually, the breaker had to enter a certain code word to get through, but there were other ways to hamper entry. The program could be accessed only at certain times, the breaker would have to play a video game, and other things. Some barriers required a great deal of computer knowledge, and Jerry willingly studied more. Before long, not only could he understand very complex programs, but also several computer languages.
Jerry's sudden change in behavior did not go unnoticed. His parents were somewhat confused, but were happy that he had found a sense of purpose, so they said nothing. Steven was not so satisfied, and a few months after Jerry developed his plan, Steven could no longer hold his question back.
They were sitting at Steven's terminal typing away when he brought it up, "You certainly have done well in the past few months."
"Yes," Jerry answered cheerfully, "thanks to you."
This kind of flattery and other distractions had moved Steven before, but not today, "I appreciate that. Just what made you change all of a sudden?"
Jerry was less cheerful, "Oh, I was just looking for a new direction, and I found it."
"All because of a video drama?"
"Well," he hesitated briefly, "uh, I guess it gave me ideas."
"If I remember correctly, your reaction to the movie was very mild at first, but put in politics and you just exploded. There's more to this than just finding directions," Steven was sounding demanding, "isn't there?"
Jerry was not cheerful now, "It is, a complicated story, and I doubt you'd believe me."
"Why not?" Steven's tone was more friendly.
"I told my parents some details of my problem when I was a toddler. They had me committed for a while."
"Committed? Come on!"
"It's true. I have told nothing of it since."
"What's your problem?"
"You'd think I was lulu."
"Try me."
Well, I can tell you part of it; do you believe people can travel out of their bodies?"
"Travel out of body, that's nuts!"
"Told you you'd think I was."
Steven then got the idea Jerry could be serious about it, "Is that really true?"
"Well, sort of, in a limited way. I'll tell you the rest when I can." Jerry thought to himself for a moment, then added, "I know further questions will be hard to resist, but I can't answer any more until then; I don't want to risk our friendship."
Steven, bewildered, could find no other answer but, "Okay."
Jerry smiled, "Then we shall succeed."