Becoming Death (00:00:00)

One minute.

It seems incredible that we are here already. All of our work is about to pay off. Everything that we have done. This is what it was all about. Everything we've done for the last five years. The Manhattan Project. The creation of our small town. The mines and the experiments. The testing and retesting. It's all about to be worth it. This is it.

Breathe.

It's almost here. We're almost done. We need this to happen. It's going to save the United States.

Inhale.

We won't need to live in fear anymore. If we win the race, we don't need to live in fear.

This is a beast that we can't let fall into the wrong hands.

It has to be us.

Exhale.

We couldn't trust the Nazis with this. We can't let anyone else have it. If someone else finds it before we do, our country is over. We need to have this kind of power. No one else can be trusted with this.

00:00:45

But what if we can't be trusted, either?

00:00:44

Inhale.

It doesn't matter. We need to be the one to find it.

00:00:43

Exhale.

"These things are hard on your heart."

Are they still going to use it? What about the people this is going to hurt? How many people could this kill in a single blast? How much damage will it really cause...

The people that will suffer. The burns and the screaming. The destruction.

They might not even use it... And it's not my decision. I am not the one pulling the trigger. I am not the one to decide. I am not the one responsible...

Right?

We just need to discover it. If they know we have the power, it's enough. All they need to know is that we are capable of such a destruction. That will be enough.

But will it end there? Can we guarantee it will?

"Thirty seconds."

"Detonator's charged."

Glasses on. We don't have much time.

And what if it sets the atmosphere on fire? In less than thirty seconds, we could all be gone. All of this would have been for nothing. But chances are near zero for that.

Just please let it work. It has to work.

It has to be us, before anyone else finds out how to use the bomb. We need to be the first. We need to have this power in the war.

A weapon like this... it doesn't even need to be used, it just needs to exist, to be possessed... known, but owned. Hidden.

It has to work.

"Seventeen... Sixteen... Fifteen..."

If this doesn't work, men will keep dying.

"Fourteen... Thirteen... Twelve..."

If this doesn't work, someone else could find it first.

"Eleven... Ten... Nine..."

This has to work. If it doesn't...

"Eight... Seven..."

If it's not as powerful as we imagined...

"Six... Five..."

All of our lives will be at stake.

"Four..."

...But what if it is?

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

...

Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

Thank you so much for reading!

This piece was based on Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and the Trinity Test scene leading up to the detonation of the atomic bomb.

It is also my entry to Vocal's Just a Minute challenge, which you can find more information about here:

Speaking of challenges... I have created an unofficial challenge of my own! You can find more information about it here:

The prompt is to write a microfiction story from the perspective of an animal! The deadline is May 31st! Check out the original post for more information.

Thank you for reading! I try to return comments and likes as much as possible. I really appreciate everyone's engagement!

Happy reading!