In the central Pacific Ocean, 254 nautical miles south of the Hawaiian Islands, aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier:
Lieutenant Rod was piloting an F/A-18E Super Hornet, circling above the Ronald Reagan, preparing for landing. Black smoke billowed from the engine of his aircraft, which seemed to have sucked something into the intake. Despite the engine issue, the flight remained stable with minimal impact.
A few hours earlier, Rod had received the call from the Ronald Reagan while stationed at an airbase in Hawaii. He was ecstatic and immediately ran from his lookout tower to the tarmac, jumping into his F/A-18 to take off. However, during takeoff, an unfortunate mutated creature was sucked into the engine, causing the right engine to fail shortly after takeoff.
Thanks to his exceptional piloting skills, Rod managed to keep the aircraft in control and made it safely to the Ronald Reagan, where he established contact.
Looking out across the ocean, the aircraft carrier was the only vessel in sight. The once impressive fleet of escort ships had disappeared.
The forward part of the ship's island was stacked with supplies, with personnel working around the clock, loading food and medical supplies into the ship's hold. The small lift, originally used for transporting bombs and missiles, was now full of these vital resources.
A Hornet jet was pushed off the deck and fell into the ocean, creating a massive splash. The aircraft on the deck were nearly all gone, with most of the fighters having been pushed overboard. Only a few helicopters remained safely parked on the deck.
Rod expertly guided his damaged aircraft towards the landing strip, lowering the arrestor hook.
The aircraft caught the arrestor wire on the deck, bringing it to a smooth stop. Ground crew rushed over with tow vehicles to help the pilot disembark from his battered plane.
Rod climbed out of the cockpit of the plane as several senior officers greeted him.
"Sir," Rod saluted.
"Welcome aboard the Ronald Reagan," the captain replied, returning the salute. "Tell me, what's the situation in Hawaii?"
"Hawaii has fallen," Rod shook his head, "Things are looking grim. Many people were turned into monsters before they could even pick up weapons. I believe I'm the only one who made it out alive."
Just as Rod had described, Hawaii, like most cities around the world, had descended into a hellish wasteland. Even with the presence of the U.S. military, it didn't make much of a difference—the military had been affected by the mutation, and their bite was more lethal than that of a normal human.
If the military had survived, it would have been a matter of hours before the island was cleansed, but the mutations started within the U.S. military base itself.
"We're in a similar situation," Captain Kirk said, "Most of the fleet is infected, but we managed to salvage this ship. The others are ghost ships now."
Rod looked around and saw a number of people still active on the flight deck.
"You're in much better shape than Hawaii," Rod remarked, "I heard you're thinking about returning to Hawaii. My advice: the farther away from there, the better."
"We have nowhere else to go," Captain Kirk replied.
"With all due respect, sir," Rod said, "This ship is your only option."
"Go get some rest," Kirk instructed, gesturing for one of the officers to escort Rod away as he and the remaining commanders headed towards the ship's island.
"Captain, it seems like we won't be able to return to Hawaii," the vice captain said.
"As expected," Captain Kirk said, the sunlight gleaming off the medals on his chest, "But the supplies we have won't be enough to get us back to the mainland. Even if we do make it, things won't be much better there."
The captain of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer spoke up, "Hawaii has over a million people. Even if we only count the people in the port areas, there are at least a hundred thousand. How are we supposed to clear them all?"
Kirk glanced at the few remaining F/A-18s parked nearby and spoke, "I believe we still have plenty of aircraft and ammunition."
"You plan to bomb Hawaii?" an officer asked.
"We've got over 6,500 people aboard this ship, which is already beyond capacity. The supplies we've salvaged from the supply ships—well, you're all more familiar with whether that's enough," Kirk said, glancing at the officers. "The only way we can get more supplies is if we clear the island of all the monsters."
As a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Ronald Reagan could, in theory, stay afloat for the next decade without worrying about energy issues. But the nuclear reactor wasn't going to produce food for the crew.
"Our planes have identification systems and won't be shot down by enemy anti-aircraft systems. In theory, it shouldn't be an issue," another officer remarked. "But we do need to consider the noise we'll make when we approach the shore. For that reason, it's better to clear all the monsters off the island first, as the captain suggested."
Another officer chimed in, "The monsters will be easy to deal with. We have a variety of ground attack weapons. The real problem will be the civilians concentrated in the cities and tourist areas. We'll need to be careful not to hit the warehouses with our bombs; we can't afford to lose our supplies."
The remaining officers were silent. It was unclear if they were still considering the plan or simply agreeing with it.
"We can start preparing now," Captain Kirk said. "I need a combat plan."
The Ronald Reagan powered up its engines and began to turn, heading back towards the Hawaiian Islands.
Below the flight deck, where fighter jets had once been parked, numerous tents had been set up. Crew members were lining up at a food station, waiting for their rations.
Many of these survivors were brought in from other ships in the carrier strike group, while others had heard the Ronald Reagan's broadcast and had come from other bases.
There was no longer enough space for everyone aboard. The rooms originally designated for officers and crew had been repurposed for the survivors, leaving the ship's original aircraft to be pushed overboard to make room.
To many, these multi-million-dollar machines—symbols of human technological prowess—were now worthless.
After the disaster broke out, the Ronald Reagan strike group had been preparing to return to Hawaii for repairs and resupply after completing its mission in the First Island Chain. But the sudden catastrophe disrupted their plans and sent the fleet off course.
It wasn't long before they lost all communication with the U.S. mainland.
They could only assume that the mainland had suffered the same fate, and most likely, it had already fallen.
After drifting in the ocean for several days, the Ronald Reagan finally received communication from Lieutenant Rod, learning of the situation in Hawaii.
Now, the Ronald Reagan was once again heading towards Hawaii, preparing for the next stage of this desperate survival mission.