He had seen it. He had seen the destructive power he now held in his hands. He had used it. He had tasted it. He had spent hundreds of hours in the labs, watching it as it grew and developed. And now that he was about to use it…well, he wasn't so sure that he was prepared to.
A destructive force never before seen in the world, the ability to kill thousands, tens of thousands of people at once. It had little practical use considering the widespread practice of guerilla warfare, but it could be used to end any conflict almost instantaneously.
But at what cost?
That was what he asked himself. What exactly was he going to have to pay for this…this perversion? This disgusting misuse of power? Certainly a lot. But…
But not as much as he would have to pay without it.
He remembered the wars of his past.
The revolution. How easy would it have been if he had the technology he did now back then? It would have been so much simpler. As simple as pushing a button. He would have killed so many more Brits that way…but how many Americans would he have saved?
His painful, bloody Civil War. More Americans died then than in any other. If he had one of these babies back then…it would have been painful, but it would have been quick. Like ripping off a band-aid.
The Great War…there would never have been a second and he would have made a pacifist out of Germany, if only so he would never have to experience that kind of pain ever again. As it was, the bomb was initially meant for Germany, but the nation had already surrendered, unwittingly sparing himself the inevitable fate of his ally.
This was what was best.
Was it?
Yes! Yes it was! It had to be!
He just had to look at this from a different perspective.
First off, he had this bomb. This big, powerful, terrible, awesome bomb. And the target that he had initially intended to use said bomb on was no longer in his line of sight. And he needed to use it sometime, because seriously, what use was a bomb if it just sat in a cellar somewhere? He needed to use it!
And look! How convenient! He was at war with Japan! Big, nasty, strong Japan, who wanted to end him and his way of life and the unity of his people! He had even attacked him! He had bombed his Hawaiian Navy base and killed his people on his own territory! The Japanese were determined to get the most out of this they could, taking large portions of China and the Pacific for his own. He had even committed genocide comparable to that in Europe! Nanking lay in shambles, over 200,000 dead. Japan deserved what he was to receive.
But…
But he was not just bombing a country. He was bombing a person. A kind, short, huggable person whom Alfred had almost crushed the first time they had met, all those years ago when Mathew Perry had brought him eastward to explore. The Asian's ambition, however, had driven a wedge between the two.
This would undoubtedly drive the wedge deeper.
Because when he bombed this country he was bombing a person, and when he bombed this person he was bombing not a single person but a whole lot of people. A whole lot of people who meant a lot to that one person.
The more he thought about this the more he began to doubt. Japan would undoubtedly be laid up for weeks – if not months – before he would be able to get up and move around. It would take decades to rebuild, and it would be impossible to fill holes he would cut into thousands of innocent civilians' lives by taking their family from them.
No! No! He needed to focus! Remember why you're doing this! He told himself, Remember why this has to be done! Remember the dead! Remember the wounded! Remember the pain and suffering that this nation brought not only to you but to your friends, to your allies, to your own family! And he did. And he found himself getting angry. He thought of England. He thought of France and his poor broken body. He thought of China, raped and beaten to near death. And he thought of Russia-
Russia.
He snarled.
That…that filthy communist! He didn't deserve his sympathy, despite the fact that his losses were the most extreme. He deserved nothing!
He was the one who deserved this bomb!
But…he was not fighting Russia right now. He was fighting Japan.
Suddenly, everything made sense. Why he was doing this. Why it needed to be done. Why he was the one that needed to do it.
This bomb – and its brother – would undoubtedly end the war. It would cripple Japan and make it impossible for him to ever fight again. It would show the rest of the world exactly what he was capable of. Might as well kill all three birds with one stone.
And so, Alfred Jones, the United States of America, pressed the little red button on his control panel. He felt the cargo doors open and his load drop, falling, falling down onto the island nation below.
As he flew away, he sighed and leaned back in his seat. His job was not yet done. He still had to fly his crew clear of the blast and of the cloud. But the hard part was over.
He took the liberty to glance behind him and managed to catch the detonation. He turned back around. He didn't want to see.
To himself, he said the words that the bomb's father had said as soon as he had realized what had done.
"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."
Notes:
The Manhattan Project – The program that created the first ever nuclear weapons, the Atomic Bomb. It was begun shortly before the United States entered the war.
"Practical Use" - The two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were strategic weapons, designed to kill and destroy as much as possible. They can not be used on a battle feild. Later, tactical nucelar weapons were designed to do just that.
"The Bomb was meant for Germany" – when the bomb was first created, the intent was to use it on Germany and insure they never instigated another war. Than Hitler killed himself and Germany surrendered, so we never got the chance.
Pearl Harbor – The Japanese bombed the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, which pulled the USA into the war.
Nanking – Though often overlooked, the Rape of Nanking was one of the most horrific travesties in history. The Japanese occupied the city of Nanking, then China's capital, and systematically raped and killed some 200,000 people. Read the book The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang, it was very good.
Russia – There was a lot of tension between the USSR and the USA before even the end of WWII. Though Americans believed that they had kept their bomb secret, Russians were privy of their creation, though they were unaware of the destructive power they contained. No one was.
"Now I am become death" – Julius Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, said this quote from the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, after he witnessed the detonation of an atomic bomb.
My opinion – I believe that dropping the bomb on Japan was as necessary as ending the war was. The fighting had gone on too long, we were wearied out, and yes, we needed to show the world what we were capable of. The losses were by no means acceptable but the outcome was. We won the war. And who knows what might have happened if we continued fighting. We may have lost. We may have won, but it may have cost thousands of more lives on our side. Call me callous, but I protect my own first.
…please don't judge me. It's just my opinion. You're all free to disagree.
I wrote this because I believe it was a painful decision, but one that needed to be made. I also believe that America the character would have had a hard time justifying this to himself.
A/N: I apologize if there are any grammatical mistakes. I wrote this on a whim in an hour and I don't think I'll ever post this if I don't now. Please don't judge me or purposely not read my stories if you disagree! I love you all and I'm so very open minded! If you disagree, convince me why I should feel otherwise. Sorry for the huge 'notes' section!