of the few surviving SAC B-52 bombers headed to the Soviet Union, call sign "Polar Bear One," refuses the E-4B's orders and turns around. Seeing that as a sign for a truce, the Soviets turn 15 of their bombers around. Condor is urged by "Alice," who is now in charge of SAC aboard the Looking Glass Plane, an airborne command and control center under US nuclear forces to turn around another squadron of B-52 bombers in response, but Condor refuses. It is then revealed that the president survived the crash of Marine One, and is still alive in a FEMA bunker outside Olney, Maryland. He learns that the Soviet premier is attempting to make contact through shortwave radio. Both negotiate a ceasefire. The president then contacts Alice, whom he orders to turn the bombers around. Alice, an Air Force general, cannot issue direct orders to the Navy, and the President's identity codes conflict with Condor's. The president contacts Condor to urge him to help secure a ceasefire, but Condor, believing he is a Soviet imposter, refuses. Alice tells the president that if both he and Condor give the submarines two different sets of orders, the submarines will go with the original orders (Condor's orders to launch a strike). The president and Alice attempt to create a plan to stop Condor. Alice suggests using the Looking Glass as a weapon to intercept the E-4B to kill Condor and to relinquish authority to the president. Alice attempts to catch up to Condor during a seven-hour window until the submarines surface to listen for new orders, which is when Condor will give the order for the decapitation strike. With minutes left, the flight crew of the E-4B, who are loyal to Alice, turn the plane into the path of the Looking Glass and kill everyone on board both planes. Command is returned to the president, who orders a full cessation of hostilities. The Soviet Union responds in kind. Television adaptation The book was made into a 1990 television movie, By Dawn's Early Light. There are some significant differences, including that the film has the initial nuclear exchange prompted by renegade Soviet terrorists launching a short range nuclear missile from near Turkey, targeting Ukraine, rather than being part of a Soviet plot. References External links Trinitys Child 1983 American novels 1983 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Novels set during World War III