Several hours later, Jerry awoke. He was lying on the couch. Steven was in the room watching television. He heard Jerry get up.
"So you finally awoke." Steven commented, "It looks like you stopped the missile." He went over to Jerry.
Jerry felt rather dizzy, and his voice showed it, "I did?, But I, just came back, I think."
"You were out for six hours."
"Six hours? The last thing I remember, the missile silo, launched. Then, I blacked out."
"I must have really conked you."
I think it was more than that." Jerry got up from the couch, "I think, I actually dreamed. I saw myself looking in the mirror. My right side was American, the left Russian. A cloud enveloped me, and I saw the Russian side in the mirror melt away, replaced by American."
"Are you saying your Russian body died?"
"Probably, I was unable to get out of the silo."
"Jerry, I'm really sorry."
"Forget it; it's over, finally over. People talk about living life as long and fully as they can. Some talk about arranging the body chemistry so that people don't need to sleep, to add fifty percent to a human lifetime. Well for me, it didn't work. Living half the time in Russia wasn't worth losing sleep over. Anyway, my life in Russia is over, and I have no more anger or resentment. I can get on with my American life, my real life."
For a moment, the two just stood there. Then they heard from the television, "We interrupt this program to bring you a special report. A new regime has taken over the Russian government. A coalition of reformers and liberals, with help from the military, threw out the hardliners. It turns out that the military threw its support to the reformers and liberals today because of a near-launching of a nuclear missile six hours ago. Somehow, the missile was programed to fly into the space above European Russia and explode, which would have sent a gigantic magnetic field which would have had disastrous consequences for modern equipment in the area.
"There are reports that the missile would have flown if it were not for the courage of one Russian officer, a Lieutenant Anton Sheranadze, who went into the silo seconds before launch, and manually shut the silo door before he could get away in time.
"The new government says it will restore the democratic programs of the Gorbechev and Yeltsin years, and promises to negotiate with China concerning its population pressures...."
"Well Jerry," Steven spoke in a flattering manner, "What do you think about that?"
Jerry had starred at the television in bewilderment. At Steven's question, he started to snicker. It slowly developed into a hearty laugh. His big failure had turned into a success he never thought possible, and he would be remembered not as a traitor, but as a hero.
Now, he could do what he thought before was not possible, to live a normal life.
THE END