FIELD LOG: THE MALL & THREAT ASSESSMENT
CLASSIFICATION: RESTRICTED
DATE: July 06, 2026
AUTHOR: Specialist "Wulfsige" (A-993-W)
"I hate the Mall.
Luca loves it. He sees the colors, the arcade, the space. I see a tactical nightmare.
There are too many sightlines. The second floor mezzanine overlooks the entire atrium — perfect for a sniper or a stalker. The lighting buzzes at a frequency that makes my teeth itch. And the smell... it smells like fake vanilla trying to cover up the scent of old dust and ozone.
It's a hunting blind. It was built to make people lower their guard. 'Look, a Sbarro! Look, a toy store!'
You stop looking for exits because you're looking at the nostalgia. That's how it gets you."
"We found an arcade. 'Time-Out Tunnel.'
Luca's tail started wagging so hard his whole body shook. He sat down in a racing game. He looked ridiculous — a five-nine wolf crammed into a plastic bucket seat — but he was happy. For five minutes, the Complex didn't exist for him.
I stayed by the door. I kept my hand on my knife. I watched the shadows in the upper rafters.
I wanted to tell him to get up. I wanted to tell him we needed to move, that staying still is death.
But then I heard him laugh. He was making 'vroom vroom' noises at a dead screen.
I couldn't take that away from him. He carries so much of the heavy lifting with his senses... he needs the play. So I stood guard. I watched the dark so he could watch the game.
He asked me if I wanted to play. I lied and said I was busy calibrating the GPS. I wasn't. I just needed to make sure nothing snuck up on him while he was being a kid."
"We need to secure the shutter entrance. Weld it if we have to. But... maybe we leave the power on to that arcade section. Just for a bit. If it keeps Luca sane, it's worth the battery cost."
End of Log.