On July 3, counterattacks against the alien invaders begin, but their ships are shielded by force fields. Each saucer launches a swarm of fighter vessels with their own shields, which decimate the human fighter squadrons and military bases. Captain Steven Hiller, one of the mission's squadron leaders, survives by luring his attacker to the enclosed spaces of the Grand Canyon before ejecting from his plane, causing the enemy fighter to crash-land. He subdues the downed alien and flags down a convoy of refugees, hitching a ride with former combat pilot Russell Casse. They transport the unconscious alien to Area 51, where Whitmore's group has landed. Secretary of Defense Albert Nimzicki has revealed that a faction of the government has been involved in a UFO conspiracy since 1947, when one of the invaders' attack fighters crashed in Roswell. Area 51 houses the now-refurbished ship, and three alien corpses recovered from the crash. As scientist Dr. Brackish Okun examines the alien captured by Steven, it regains consciousness and attacks, telepathically invading Okun's mind and killing other personnel. It uses Okun's vocal cords to reject Whitmore's offer of peace before launching a psychic attack against him. After Secret Service agents and military personnel kill the alien, Whitmore reveals what he learned when they were linked: the invaders plan to strip Earth of natural resources. He reluctantly authorizes a nuclear attack against one warship situated above Houston as a trial, but it remains intact. Steven's fiancée Jasmine Dubrow and her son, having survived the destruction of Los Angeles, rescue a truckload of other survivors, including the critically injured First Lady, Marilyn. Though they are later found by Steven and taken to Area 51, Marilyn dies shortly after being reunited with her family.