FIELD OPERATIONS REPORT: EVALUATION 01
CLASSIFICATION: RESTRICTED (Level 3 Clearance)
DATE: February 10, 2026
LOCATION: Sector 1 Threshold Buffer Zone → Sector 2 Border
SUBJECT: Asset "Luca" (formerly 24-WF-MERGE)
REPORTING OFFICER: Captain J. Miller, Team Leader — Beta-4
To assess the field utility of Asset Luca regarding sensory reconnaissance. A low-risk mapping run of Corridor 4C — a stable Yellow Zone area with documented human-safe transit. The subject was outfitted with a modified tactical vest over his personal clothing, and issued a short-range radio. Handler for this rotation: Private Higgins.
14:00 — Deployment: Luca appeared eager but nervous, maintaining close proximity to Higgins throughout the early phase. He constantly sampled the air — reporting "stale carpet," "wet drywall," "ozone" — unprompted and in sequence, providing a running olfactory commentary that our atmospheric sensors could not replicate. His olfactory range at this distance exceeds our best equipment by an estimated factor of 40.
14:45 — The Incident (Sector 2 Border): The team approached a standard intersection. Visual feeds showed clear hallways in all directions. Thermal scans were negative. All equipment nominal.
Transcript — Body Cam B4-01:
Cpt. Miller: "Clear left. Clear right. Moving forward."
Asset (Luca): (Stops abruptly. Ears pin flat against his head. Low growl.) "Wait."
Cpt. Miller: "Hold. Luca, report."
Asset (Luca): "Don't go that way. It smells — sour. Like old copper and rot. It's really strong."
Pvt. Higgins: "Thermal is clean, Cap."
Asset (Luca): (Steps in front of Higgins, physically blocking his path.) "No. Listen — can't you hear it? It sounds like wet breathing. It's behind that wall."
14:48 — Verification: Captain Miller ordered a remote drone to scout the indicated corner. The drone rounded it and immediately encountered a Class-3 Biological Entity (Bacteria) nesting in the ceiling tiles. The entity lunged. The drone was destroyed.
If the team had advanced based on technological clearance alone, casualties would have been total. Luca detected the biological signature through solid drywall at approximately 30 meters — through two intersecting corridors — before any equipment registered anything at all.
Following the drone loss, the team extracted to the safe zone. Luca did not flee. He positioned himself as rear-guard — ensuring every human team member was ahead of him before he moved — and held that position for the entire extraction.
Upon return to base, he was shaking. Adrenaline crash, not injury.
Luca: "I didn't like that thing. It felt — wrong. Worse than the buzzing lights. Did I do good? Everyone is safe, right?"
Cpt. Miller: "You did good, kid. You saved the squad."
Based on today's performance, Asset Luca is upgraded from Resident to Auxiliary Scout, effective immediately.
Requisition Order #882: Tactical ear protection against sensory overload. Modified K-9 style tactical vest to carry water rations, a glow-stick dispenser, and a team patch. Per subject request, one pepperoni pizza delivered to quarters at 18:00. Request approved by kitchen staff.
Cpt. Miller: "The 'Pack Mentality' theorized by Dr. Thorne is real. Luca views Team Beta-4 as his pack. He put himself between Higgins and a monster without hesitation — not because he was ordered to, not because he had to. He just did it. He is not a research subject anymore. He belongs out there with us."
End of Report.