Free Götterdämmerung by Barry Reese

an advance—”
    Nimrod’s lips tightened as he heard the other man’s reply: “You have tried to play us for fools. We hired you to kill The Peregrine but you took a similar contract from the mob in Atlanta.”
    “Both of you wanted the same thing. No reason why I shouldn’t get paid by both.”
    “You either work for us or you don’t.”
    “If you make me choose, I’ll side with you, but I don’t see why I should have to.”
    Fritz said nothing for a moment and when he spoke again, Nimrod knew that he’d nearly gone too far. “We reached out to you because of your heritage. If you toe the line, you can be assured of a place in the coming world order. The Third Reich is already spreading across Europe and, in time, America will belong to the Fatherland as well. You would do well to remember that. Whatever money you may be receiving from those degenerates now will pale next to the glory—or torment—that will await you in the future. It is your choice which it is to be.”
    Nimrod sighed. Pro-German forces had approached him nearly a year ago. They offered him money to assassinate enemies within the United States and to continue to hunt down the masked vigilantes who were sweeping the nation. Until now, they had said nothing about his continuing to accept money from others. He knew it might come up, particularly with his “double dipping” on the same assignment, but he saw no conflict of interest. Nevertheless, he knew what he was expected to say. “I will inform my other employers that I am no longer available to them. They might have questions when they find out that I completed the contract, however.”
    “We are not concerned with your reputation, Nimrod. In fact, we are changing your status, effective immediately. From this day forward, you are part of the Occult Forces Project. That is the agency that will oversee all German super-soldiers.”
    “I have German ancestry but I’m American.”
    “I will forgive you for saying that. Your Aryan blood takes precedence over any loyalty you feel for your current homeland. Do you understand?”
    “Of course.” Nimrod gritted his teeth and added, “I’ll resume my hunt for The Peregrine.”
    “He is in Sovereign.”
    “What?”
    “You heard me. He was sighted entering the headquarters of Assistance Unlimited. You are to leave Atlanta immediately. We have a private plane reserved for you. If you encounter any of Sovereign’s heroes, you may feel free to deal with them as you see fit but The Peregrine should remain your primary target. He has attracted the attention of The Füehrer and he’s considered a threat to our activities in America.”
    “I’ll do as I’m told,” Nimrod said. He hung up after getting the details of his flight, slamming the receiver down so hard that it nearly toppled over in the cradle.
    His dreams of retirement suddenly seemed very far away. Once he’d killed The Peregrine, there was a very good chance that he’d be ordered to Berlin to become part of whatever-the-hell an Occult Forces Project was.
    He got dressed in an efficient manner, packing as he did so. He was a very clever man and he was already thinking of ways to free himself from the snare in which he had become trapped. He would definitely kill The Peregrine. He felt he had to, in light of his defeat. Beyond that… beyond that, he might yet be able to turn this into a profitable enterprise.
    * * *
    Berlin
    Otto Luther sat alone in his laboratory. He’d clutched the vial of liquid throughout Himmler’s visit, afraid that if he allowed it to leave his hands, he would never get close to the miracle fluid again. He’d hated to see his fellow scientist die, particularly when it was done solely to show off the power of Sonya Schneider, but Otto was glad that it wasn’t he who had perished.
    Thirty-three years old and handsome, Otto had risen through the ranks to his current position with the OFP. He wasn’t the smartest of men, despite the degrees he’d