The Last War: Chapter 56, Part 2

"That's your proposition?" the Colombian asked.

The American nodded. He was huge and imposing, and right now El Nariz felt very very small and terrified. El Nariz had always been very paranoid. It was just the way you had to be if you were a spy. Now that he had been discovered that paranoia was beginning to affect him. He felt as though he spent only about half the time in reality, and the other half walking around and scaring himself with figments of his own imagination. He had a lurking and terrifying fear that he was beginning to go insane. He'd lost it ever since he'd been found out.

"You want me to turn on my own people?"

The American snorted.

"The Claw is hardly your own people, Nariz."

The Americans had still not managed to find out El Nariz's real name. He'd been very staunch in not revealing it, and there were no records that contained it which the Americans had access to. He wondered if, with the way his mind was beginning to slip away from him, he might forget it himself. That, he knew, would be the sign that he was finally and totally mad.

"You want me to infiltrate Washington, take an AS gun in my hand, and kill Lars Metzger?"

"It's hardly worthy of the name subterfuge, Nariz. All you have to do is walk in there. The Claw is admitting anyone who can get through the sieging Germans. Just swim up the Potomac, and ask to join The Claw. They can check your records and see you're a loyal coalie. Once they do, put a bullet in the Butcher's brain."

El Nariz screwed his face up into a scowl. His backbone was beginning to return.

"If it's as easy as you say, why do you need me? Why not send one of your own men?"

"Because The Claw is very thorough. They'll know anyone we send is a fake. We've lost dozens of agents that way. With a known coalie spy such as yourself, their background check will, excuse the pun, check out."

"And it's this or the firing squad?"

The American nodded.

"Of course, you could just go native once you get there. That's why we're willing to offer you ten million dollars and amnesty, as an incentive for actually completing the task."

"I guess I hardly have a choice then, do I?"