Betrayal

"If they (Empire of Japan) do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth. Behind this air attack will follow sea and land forces in such numbers and power as they have not yet seen and with the fighting skill of which they are already well aware." ~President Harry S. Truman, August 7th 1945 after the bombing of Hiroshima.

August 15th, 1945
Moscow, Soviet Union

A day ago Emperor Hirohito of Japan had ordered the unconditional surrender of his nation. In his announcement to the Japanese people he stated this:

"Moreover, the enemy now possesses a new and terrible weapon with the power to destroy many innocent lives and do incalculable damage. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization."

Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Where there had once been two bustling cities, teeming with life, now there only remained burned out craters. Thousands were dead in the wake of the United States deadly new weapon: the atomic bomb. Olga had been busy battling the Japanese forces for the last few days as the Soviet Union had launched the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation as part of it's deal to assist the Allies when the Third Reich had finally been defeated. On August 9th she and 1.6 million Soviet troops, armor and air support had attacked the Japanese forces occupying eastern Asia. Upon learning of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima three days earlier she had, under direct orders from Stalin, flown to Japan to inspect the devastation first hand. A great scar on the land still burning and covered by a heavy cloud of smoke was all that was left of the once proud city. Practically every living thing, human and animal, had been literally seared to death. She could not believe what she was seeing. Words failed. During her final battle with Ilsa Hauppman in Berlin the Nazi scientist had boasted that she had in her possession a weapon capable of reducing Berlin to ash and cinders. At the time Olga had thought her capable of incredible devastation, but that she was exaggerating as the level of her threat. That weapon had been thrown into deep space. Now she wondered if perhaps Ilsa had spoken truly.

She thought she had seen every horrible example of what man was capable of inflicting on man until that terrible moment over Hiroshima.

On August 9th the city of Nagasaki was wiped clean from the Earth, the same day she was sent back into action.

On the day of Japan's surrender the Soviet Superwoman had been recalled back to Moscow while Stalin and the Central Committee discussed this new doomsday weapon. They had known of the American atomic project since 1942, but due the war with Germany a large scale domestic effort to create one of their own was not undertaken. That and they had Olga Yezhov, who more than made up for the loss of such devices.

August 15th should have been a day for incredible celebration inside the Soviet Union. The Great Patriotic War had come to an end some months earlier with Hitler and most of his staff languishing in prison and scheduled for trial and now the Empire of Japan had surrendered, paving the way for a new era of world peace. Olga felt elated. She had grown so tired of the conflict and battles. The incredible number of lives lost, some of them close comrades she had made. Claire...her family and friends...Now there was a chance to rebuild. Europe, scarred and battered, was almost completely under the banner of the U.S.S.R.. Her nation was stronger than it had ever been and had grown in a few years of war into a super-power un-thought of or imagined during her parents lifetime. The air was just now beginning to cool as winter approached and the rainstorm of the night before made the morning air heavy with fog.

It was 8:00 a.m..

Soviet early warning radar detected the approach of some American aircraft heading over the city. The number of planes coming in was very small—probably not more than three—and very little concern was given over the matter as the United States was an Allied and friendly force. In fact, they even had B-25 Mitchell bomber with her image on the side in her honor. She enjoyed the company of the Americans she had met, mostly in Italy during their campaign against Mussolini and some in the aftermath of the failed D-Day invasion. Olga didn't speak English very well, but she had been working on it aggressively ever since a handsome G.I. had told her that a Russian accent was the sexiest in the world and made her blush. She signed (and took) a few pictures and kissed a few of the pilots (for luck of course) before taking off. Another time she had met with a soldier named James who offered her some of his baseball cards (complete with chewing gum). All and all she had had nothing but friendly experiences with her Western counterparts. She had very much enjoyed the company of President Roosevelt though they had only met twice and was saddened to hear about his death a few months earlier. Olga hoped the new president would be as gracious to her and maybe even invite her to White House someday now that the war was over and let her see the United States.

It was with this mind-set that Olga took off like a streak through the morning sky to greet the pilots of the aircraft flying in low over Moscow.

Perhaps they would have baseball cards as well. She still needed a Joe DiMaggio.

A single B-24 Liberator made it's way across the morning sky. There were no marking or name on the aircraft other than symbols marking it property of the United States Air Force. Olga smiled and waved at the aircraft as she streaked towards it.

The bomb-bay doors dropped open and a single atomic weapon came whistling out.

Olga's eyes flew open in horror and disbelief. She continued to fly forward, but her entire body felt paralyzed with this horrible mixture of confusion and fear. Why would they do this? There had to be some mistake, a terrible mistake. Perhaps it was a German trick...something Ilsa or the Iron Chancellor had planned as a final unmistakable message to their hated foes.

There was something written on the side of the weapon, but Olga's grasp of written English wasn't good enough it out. Certainly nothing the Germans would have done. Ilsa would have made sure her mark was on it somewhere. The bomb was unmistakably American, as was the plane that was climbing up and escaping. Olga watched it ascend into the sky for a moment as she dove towards the steel canister that was hurtling towards her beloved capital city and home. Her eyes were filled with a seething, teeming hatred. If she could have that pilot and his crew in front of her at that moment she was afraid of what she would do and the thought of it sent a shudder up her spine. The taste of phlegm filled her mouth as she locked off any thoughts of revenge and focused on the object that had the capacity to wipe out hundreds of thousands of people in a flash of light. She reached out with both hands and took hold of the tail assembly. For such a relatively small object, the weight was staggering.

Both the Soviet Superwoman and the war-head spun towards the city at a dizzying rate. The aircraft was already nothing but a dot in the horizon, the assassins fleeing as quickly as possible from the intended target once their payload had been dumped. Трусы! Предатели! Did they care nothing for all the innocent civilian lives they were about to extinguish? Did they care nothing for everything that the Soviet people had sacrificed and died for during the last four years of conflict? She grunted and pulled upwards on the bomb with all of her incredible strength, slowly rocketing it back into the sky. Her muscles tensed and veins bulged as the Soviet juggernaut strained every ounce of might. The fate of everyone in Moscow now depended on the great powers she had been bestowed with. She herself was unsure if she could withstand the blast of such a conflagration. More than likely this type of weapon was armed to air-burst just over the city for maximum lethality. Nyet, it was not going to happen as long as life still pumped in her veins!

Olga had never experienced blind fear so much as she did on that fateful August morning.

The amazonian young Russian let out a cry that would shake the heavens themselves and called on every last reserve she had available to her as she continued to soar upwards, her fingers actually punched into the steel frame of the tail assembly. The bomb had begun to make a series of noises from inside the frame that only strengthened her resolve. The air began to thin and ice crystals formed on the atomic weapon and her body. Her breath became a visible cloud and the warhead continued to build layer upon layer of the frozen vapor. At this point she wasn't sure if it was still capable of detonating, but there was no reason to take any chances. Like a shot-put, Olga began to swing it around as she flew upwards in a spiraling motion. This doomsday device could find a mate with the one Ilsa Hauppman had procured far from the Earth in deep space.

Then a thought flashed into her brain.

The Americans think they have the ultimate weapon. They think they are superior and they think that this gives them the right to the mass execution of the Soviet peoples. It was as Comrade Stalin had warned her: a decadent people concerned only with their own greed and fears. Fear of what the new Europe and U.S.S.R. represented. Fear of what she represented. She felt so foolish now, telling him he was wrong at the time. Arguing with him that they were a good, honest people who differed in matters political and economic, but were the same as in their hearts as any Russian.

They were no better than the Nazis. Worse that they smiled to her face and pretended to be an ally to her and her country.

Looking down at the hunk of frozen steel she knew what she was going to do.

Bring it back to Moscow as a gift for Comrade Stalin, Central Committee, the Party and most importantly the scientists to replicate. Moscow would soon have weapons like this at their disposal as well as all the magnificent powers she was capable of reigning down. The entire world would see this atomic weapon and know of the treachery of the United States. Her other allies would abandon her. She will be left alone, an international pariah of cowards and liars.

It would be a long time before she questioned Comrade Stalin again.

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Third on the list of most requested stories from my poll for those of you who voted for it (and everyone else of course). I hope I did not disappoint.

This takes place in Olga's parallel dimension and as such her history there is not our history here. Through a looking glass darkly.

This amazing piece of art was commissioned by (who has a gallery nothing short of spectacular...seriously go see for yourselves) from my good friend and fan . Thank you both so much for this pivotal moment in the life of Soviet Superwoman captured so perfectly.

Soviet Superwoman is my property and creation and currently resides in