“You point it at a group of people and it’ll obliterate everything in its path.” A gleam of jubilant self-satisfaction shone across Doctor Bradbury’s dark brown eyes and a crooked smile formed as if it were his first such attempt. That’s what he had been hiding behind his cold stoic demeanor all these years. It made me sick.

I considered the ramifications of this- this device. I gulped for air. “And how many of these did you say you made?”

“Forty thousand thus far,” Bradbury said, “Fifty thousand by the end of the week, and after that a production capability of twenty thousand more each week thereafter.”

“With a capability of destroying-” the words caught in my throat. I was getting dizzy.

“Thousands,” the gleam came back to Bradbury’s eyes, “Hundreds of thousands in the right hands.”

“The right hands,” I said turning the device around in my hands. “The right hands.”

“Aren’t you pleased?” Bradbury said. “This will end the war.”

“No, Doctor,” I said pointing the device at his crooked smile. “I will end the war. Right. Now.”

“Ouch!”

“Don’t worry. You won’t feel a thing,” the doctor said.

“I already said ‘ouch.’ You can’t tell me I won’t feel a thing after I’ve already felt something.”

“I meant from here on out,” the doctor said distractedly.

“Oh. I guess that makes sens– Ouch!! I thought you said I wouldn’t feel anything from here on out!”

“Up until just then,” the doctor said matter-of-factly.

“What?”

“I just stuck a needle in you. Of course you’d feel something then.”

“Well then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That I’d feel someth– OUCH!!”

“Sorry. That was my fault that time.”

“It’s all been your fault as far as I can tell!”

“Look,” the doctor stood up and looked me in the eye, “You can’t get better without a little pain. It’s just the way it is. I know these things. I’m a doctor.”

I stared deep into those confident reassuring eyes of his. “I don’t know why, but I think I trust what you– YEEEOWCH!”

“My bad.”

I could see her face through the ice, distorted and blue. No matter how hard I slammed my fist against it, it would not break. It was too thick. Her eyes were wide. Complete fear had overtaken her. Her movements were like molasses.

Time slowed down to an imperceptible crawl. Each moment was like an eternity. An eternity of eternities was still not enough time.

My thoughts turned to the time I no longer would have with her. It was too late now for rescue. No one could survive much longer.

The cold water filled my lungs and set them on fire, dying for a breath.