Vyral

Chapter 0: Part 9 - Only one way to go

--------------------
Expedition day
08:30 am
Colony Gate
--------------------

Most of 'Scout Team B' is in front of the gate, mind and spirit ready, bodies shuffling, backpacks filled with basic supplies. They'll be collecting samples from the Zone, so filling up their backpacks isn't advised, since it encumbers them and delays their movements. They've also been given pressurized hunting rifles and a few magazines, each containing 3 bullets. They're not very effective at shooting several targets, but, it's the most firepower the Colony possesses. The rudimentary mechanism they were designed with consists of releasing the pressurized air within the chamber with enough force to make every shot pack a punch. Once the mag is empty, the gun has to be re-pressurized and then loaded manually, which can't be done quickly.
They're for emergencies only.

Mell and Zach are still absent.

The Gatekeeper explains that there's no need to wait for the full team to verify their identity, so that's what they do. He dips this nicely crafted wooden block, carved with the Colony Insignia, in blue paint and hands it over to each member of the team to stamp in the blank square, next to their names.
Upon doing so, he slams a different wooden stamp, dipped in red this time, that reads "Approved" over the previous one.
This works as an unofficial signature that Rhys demanded ever since he lost Maverick's team 2 years ago.
The Expedition Teams, which are part of the Protective Forces Department, are composed of two branches. The Scouts and The Goliaths.

There are three types of Scouts:

- Scavenger Scouts. Tasked with collecting and recovering any material they can find in and outside the walls, sometimes checking underground for any resources the hordes of infected left off, after being destroyed by the Goliaths.

- Vigilante Scouts. Who stand atop the walls and observe the outskirts of Zamaton. They serve as guardians of the people, patrolling the streets to ensure everyone's safety and to help the populace complete whatever chores or tasks they have.

- Expedition Scouts. Closely working with the Goliaths in order to protect the Colony . They expand the reaches of knowledge by exploring the outside world, subjecting themselves to constant danger, whether it's infection, mutilation or even insanity towards the horrors they face.
With the collected information, they come up with the best defense strategies while keeping an eye out for other settlements that might hint towards any human life besides theirs.
They're also responsible to conjure up escape plans in case the Colony falls under attack.

The first two teams are willing to trade positions with each other, but never with the Expedition Scouts or The Goliaths. Those jobs are for maniacs.

Last but not least, The Goliaths. A large protective unit that works as an army, charged with the frontal protection of the Colony. Main and last line of defense. They're found in the worst places someone can think of just in order to protect their home, whether it's the underground, areas of high infected mobility on the outskirts of the walls, old sewer systems and even the buildings in closest vicinity to Zamaton, which they explore just to make sure no nests are being created within.

Back to the present.
Giving the Gatekeeper the summoning letters is the next and final step to confirming their identity, and consenting that their lives are put at risk for the sake of the Colony.
One of the important points present in the heaps of text that compose the agreement, is that if the Scout team returns to the Colony with missing members, and one, or more of those missing members show up as stragglers, the individuals are considered threats, who will be captured and interrogated on sight. If the individuals are un-cooperative or show any sign of ill intent, obliviousness or lack of understanding, they are to be shot immediately.