Last Defense | |
Author | Pittacus Lore |
Publication date | February 23, 2016 |
Published by | Harpercollins |
ISBN | 9780062387691 |
Publication Order | |
Preceded by Legacies Reborn |
Followed by Hunt for the Garde |
Last Defense, the 14th installment of the Lost Files Novellas was released on February 23, 2016. It is the second in the fifth trilogy of Lost Files, Zero Hour, which was included in a paperback bind up released in May 2016. The novella follows Malcolm Goode during the events of The Fate of Ten.
About the Book[]
In this electrifying one-hundred-page companion novella to the New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series, discover what happened to Malcolm Goode after the Mogadorian invasion began.
When the Garde split up, heading off to New York City and Mexico, Malcolm decided to stay behind in Ashwood Estates, the Mog’s formerly hidden base located near Washington DC. He wanted to search the facility for anything that might help John Smith and the others stop the alien invasion. But once the spaceships descended, that plan went up in smoke.
Before he gets a chance to come up with a plan B, armed soldiers storm the base. As one of the few humans who knows anything about Loric and their war with the Mogadorians, Malcolm is an invaluable asset—and they’ve been tasked with safely escorting him to the president’s secret bunker. With Mogs hot on their trail, though, it’ll be easier said than done. Luckily, Malcolm has some backup in the form of a Chimæra. But even if he makes it to his destination, will Malcolm be able to help what’s left of the government find a way to defeat the Mogs? Or will he be too late?
Plot[]
The novella picks up immediately before John, Nine, Sam, Walker and her agents go to New York. After saying a goodbye to Sam, Malcolm goes underground with Gamera, who is his bodyguard, to the tunnels underneath Ashwood Estates. Agent Noto follows him and introduces himself to Malcolm.
The two spend an hour or so going through files in the Mogadorian Archives in the tunnels of Ashwood, finding nothing. After Agent Noto informs Malcolm that Doctor Zakos is still alive, they learn that the Mogadorian Warships loom over Earth's major cities. While Noto and the dozen or so other Agents try to figure out what to do next, Malcolm and Gamera are swept up from Ashwood by a group of armed soldiers, led by Colonel Lujan and his loyal soldier, Major Samuel Briggs. The helicopter he is in is shot down by an attacking Skimmer, and they are attacked by ground soldiers and a bat-demon-creature. Malcolm kills the creature with a beretta that Briggs handed him. Lujan and the other soldiers are killed, and Gamera and Briggs make short work of the attacking Mogs. Malcolm is then quickly escorted to Union Station, and then taken to the President's Bunker, Liberty Base.
Malcolm is given a "VIP bunker treatment," which involves a small room that is bugged. Also in the base is President Arnold Jackson. The majority of the government thinks he's just a crazy scientist, and he is forced to live in a small cell-like room. After Sam calls Malcolm, he is proud to hear about Sam's legacy.
Malcolm is called to a meeting with America's leaders, including General Lawson and the President. After an argument between the leaders, Malcolm chimes in and tells the leaders everything he knows, including the Garde, Paradise, Chicago, West Virginia, Dulce, MogPro, and everything else he knows about the Garde and the Mogadorians. Everyone is shocked. Malcolm is sent out of the room immediately when Setrákus Ra sends his message about the Invasion to the President.
Later, the President desperately comes to Malcolm for help when his older daughter Melanie shares a vision with the other Human-Garde (Meeting in the Elder's Chamber), and Malcolm tells her about Sam, and asks her about her Telekinesis. She, unlike Sam and Daniela, is not very good at her Legacy.
Later, Sam calls Malcolm, telling him that something terrible has happened (Malcolm notes that there was pained and animal screaming in the background. It is possible Sam was referring to Sarah Hart's death). Malcolm, with help from Briggs and a friend of his, manages to escape Liberty Base with Gamera by his side. Gamera takes the form of a Horse, and Malcolm asks Sam where he is going. The Novella then ends.