09:00 – USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), Central Mediterranean
The transition from a hostile, asymmetric urban warzone to the sterile, hyper-regulated environment of a United States Wasp-class amphibious assault ship was a jarring, almost hallucinatory physiological shock.
For the past twelve hours, Will Carter’s reality had been defined by the scent of pulverized concrete, raw sewage, oxidized gun oil, and the sharp, undeniable copper tang of human blood. He had navigated the apocalyptic