To Overthrow the Guardians

Chapter 17: The Defect

Mallory crouched underneath the tree in the form of a bunny, dark like the shadows and night sky. Clouds covered the moon tonight; there was no reason to hide like he was, except for the fact that he was still afraid Pitch would come after him for a second time. Mallory would welcome the chance to battle him again, except for the fact that his Power-Inducer's chemicals were almost completely out of his system. He could now only transform into other people and small, weak animals. Easier transformations.

Besides, the Fearlings had left him for now. He had lost his army. They hadn't wanted to be spotted around his home, or someone might have suspected something. They had said they would come back if he needed help again, but they couldn't help much with stealing a few Power-Inducers. Fearlings would draw too much attention to secretly steal something. They could only possibly be a distraction, and that was only until the sentinels realized what was really going on. Beth had to have told them he was a shapeshifter by now.

Mallory ran through the dark green grass. He had a few hours until the meeting. He had time.

Sprinting right up to the front doors, he transformed into Matt. The doors had been locked for the night, so he had to unlock them. He placed his finger on the nearby fingerprint scanner.

"Mallory Bennett." The mechanical voice sent Mallory's blood pounding through his body in a panic. "Access denied."

What? How could that be? He was Matt! He had Matt's fingerprint! Or did he? Maybe his shapeshifting had its limits...?

The door burst open in front of him, knocking him to the ground. He grunted a little but felt no pain. Maybe he was getting stronger somehow.

He stared up in horror at the spidery sentinel, a battleaxe in each of its silver-colored arms. It wore the same light blue pants and shirt with the L.E.R. sun and white shoes as the L.E.R. agents did, but it didn't have a name under the sun. Mallory's body burned to back up, but something made him hold still. The E.A.D. was a friend of Matt. Mallory wondered how strong its darkness-sensing powers were. Could he trick it?

"Rise, Mallory. You are Matt now. Remember that."

Mallory stood up and brushed the grass off of his clothes the best he could, then looked the sentinel in the eye. Now, what would Matt say? What was the kind of thing he would think? Well, he'd be shocked, definitely. Mallory raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes. "Oh heck, what happened to the fingerprint scanner?"

The sentinel cocked its bald head to the side. "I do not know. Are you sure you are not Mallory?"

"Definitely. I hear no voices in my head."

"Then you should fix the fingerprint scanner with your Power-Inducer." Oh, right. Matt's Power-Inducer ability was to fix things with his mind.

"I don't have it with me," he said. "I left it in the headquarters. That's why I'm here. I came back to get it."

The sentinel looked around. "Where's your car?"

"Over there." Mallory pointed to a place the E.A.D. couldn't see.

It nodded. "And where did you leave your Power-Inducer?"

"I don't remember. Could you please just grab me one from Fiona's lab?"

"You know that she would not appreciate that. Come, let us look for it together."

Mallory internally breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that the sentinel's darkness-sensing abilities were not that strong after all.

He followed the sentinel down the hall.

"Where do you remember having it in your possession last?" it asked.

"Hm..." Mallory scratched his chin, pretending to think. "Fiona's lab, I think."

"Then we shall begin our search there."

Mallory nearly gaped at the tanks in the intersection. Those hadn't been here the last time he had been in the headquarters. People had set up the containment area. For who, him? He had to stop himself from staring. Matt would have seen it before.

Suddenly, the sentinel spun around and nearly sliced Mallory's arm off. He was able to dodge it just in time, but it sent a gallon of adrenaline up to his head.

"You are not Matthew Sloan," the sentinel said, rearing back for another swing.

"No, I am! I swear! I swear!" Mallory dodged a blow to his head, but he got his face nicked.

"You are not. I never believed you. I only wanted to lure you in."

Mallory's legs ran toward the front doors without him telling them to. Instinct again, but the E.A.D. bounded in front of him, blocking the exit.

"You will not escape. Master and Mistress want you contained, and I would like you dead."

"This one has a defect."

"You are much less of a danger to them dead," the sentinel continued.

Mallory turned around and ran for the East Hall, where Fiona's lab was, but the E.A.D. leaped over, grabbed him around his waist, and threw him against a wall. He jumped to his feet, only feeling a little pain in his back and head. He was now certain that he was stronger than before.

"Why did you not perish?" the sentinel asked.

"Fearlings! Nightmares!" Mallory cried in a voice that didn't feel like his own. "Help me!" He had a feeling they were both coming even though he hadn't known the Nightmares were on his side as well. It was just another instinct.

"Coward," the E.A.D. said, then grabbed for him again. He was quick to turn into a black rabbit and sprint for the doors, but the sentinel caught him and threw him against another wall, causing him to unintentionally turn back into his normal self. He jumped up and pulled his scythe from his pocket, extending it and leaping forward to slash at the sentinel. Mallory landed a hit on one of its arms, and it immediately retaliated with its own weapons. It managed a long gash in Mallory's leg that began to bleed through his clothes.

But then Fearlings and Nightmares began pouring in through the door. They surrounded the E.A.D., blocking its eyes and entwining themselves around its limbs. The sentinel sliced at the creatures, but the Fearlings just morphed back together when they were separated, and more and more just kept coming.

With great speed, Mallory ran down the hallway to the intersection, then turned left. The next E.A.D. was about to pounce on him, but he directed Fearlings and Nightmares to it as well, and it became occupied.

The door to Fiona's lab was closed. He bashed his shoulder into the door, but it did nothing.

"Let us help you." A couple of Fearlings slipped underneath the door and opened it from the inside. Mallory rushed in and began to search. He expected the voices to aid him again, but they didn't. He just had to look by himself, though he found three Power-Inducers rather quickly and took them all.

As he ran through the intersection, down the North Hall, and through the front doors, the Fearlings and Nightmares receded, following him out.

His heart rate slowed, and his body felt freed. He had gotten back Power-Inducers. Now he could work on controlling his new ability more.

And plot to kill Pitch and the Guardians, keeping his children safe.