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, which is loyal to Alice, turns the plane into the path of the Looking Glass and kills everyone on board both planes. Command is returned to the president, who orders a full cessation of hostilities. The Soviet Union responds in kind. But Polar Bear One's fate, and the outcomes of the conflicts in the Middle East and between the Soviets and Chinese are left unanswered.