Trinity's Child

Trinity's Child
Author(s)	William Prochnau
Language	English
Publisher	Putnam Pub Group
Publication date	October 1983
Pages	400 pages (Hardcover)
ISBN	978-0399127779

Trinity's Child is a 1983 novel by William Prochnau. The book depicts a nuclear war waged between the United States of America and the Soviet Union.

Plot summary

During the waning years of the Cold War, the United States has engaged in a massive military buildup, hoping to press the economy of the Soviet Union to breaking point and so force them into political compromise. Instead, the Soviet Premier responds by launching a limited nuclear counter-force strike against America, hoping to destroy their military capability whilst leaving the civilian population relatively intact. The President of the United States receives a teleprinter by the Premier in which he offers the United States three choices; accept the damage and the exchange will end, respond in kind (which would result in the deaths of 3 to 9 million people on both sides), or respond in full (which would certainly result in a global nuclear war). The President decides to respond in kind, much to the chagrin of Gen. Renning (codename "Icarus"), the commander-in-chief of Strategic Air Command. Icarus believes the teleprinter to be a ruse, and that the Soviet leadership will retaliate massively, thereby crushing the United States.

As the order is passed on, the first wave of Soviet ICBMs and SLBMs arrive, crippling most of America's missile silos and bomber bases. A missile aimed at Andrews Air Force Base, so as to prevent the President from leaving Washington, D.C., overshoots its target and detonates in the vicinity of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Icarus then informs the President that the Soviets have launched a second strike and urges the President to launch their remaining ICBMs and bombers not destroyed in the first exchange. The President reluctantly gives the order just before SAC and Omaha, Nebraska are destroyed.

As he is evacuated from the White House to be taken to Dover Air Force Base, the President is informed aboard Marine One that the second Soviet launch was directed at the Chinese whom had launched their own strike against the Soviets in accordance to a treaty with the United States. Seeing his hasty response will result in further retaliatory strikes, the President falls into a stupor. Suddenly, a missile detonates over nearby Andrews AFB, and causes the helicopter to crash.

Believing the President to be dead, Renning's Navy attache "Harpoon" is given the assignment of locating a successor. He learns through intel by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the Secretary of the Interior is in the swamplands outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Harpoon's Boeing E-4B lands in the city and intercepts the secretary, now with the given name "Condor". The plane leaves Baton Rouge minutes before the city is struck by an ICBM. As the only known successor to be alive, Condor is sworn in as the new president. During Harpoon's briefing, the extent of the damage to both countries is revealed; the Soviet Union has suffered roughly 25 million casualties with the United States suffering 30-35 million. Along with Omaha and Baton Rouge, the cities of Seattle, Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, New Orleans, Phoenix, Raleigh, and Washington, D.C. have been destroyed. Massive social disorder and rioting have broken out in American's remaining cities. It is briefly mentioned that Europe remained neutral during the conflict and that India and Israel have declared war on Pakistan.

Believing that America is "losing" the war due to having a higher casualty count, Condor, being urged by the hawkish "Librarian", an air force colonel whose expertise centers on Soviet military doctrine, orders a "Grand Tour"; sending America's remaining bombers into the Soviet Union to destroy leadership bunkers, thus decapitating the Soviet government and leaving the rest of the nation to collapse. Harpoon reasons that the plan will not work as there will be no one in power remaining to "turn off the war". During this, one of the American bombers en route to the Soviet Union abandons its mission. Seeing it as a sign for a truce, the Soviets turn 15 of their bombers around. Condor, seeing the act by the lone bomber as cowardly, states that the United States has "one deserter and the Soviets have 15". Believing Harpoon to be incompetent, Condor relieves him of his command and appoints the Librarian as his new adviser. In his quarters, Harpoon contacts Icarus's successor, "Alice", whom is flying aboard the mobile command center designated "Looking Glass". Learning that a full-scale nuclear strike is imminent, Harpoon attempts to storm the cockpit and crash the plane before the order is given. He is stopped, however, and strangled.

It is then discovered that the president survived the crash and is immediately taken to a FEMA bunker in the outskirts of Olney, Maryland. There, his Emergency War Orders officer learns that the Soviet Premier is attempting to make contact through a shortwave radio. Not knowing if the call is authentic, the President, now a paraplegic and blind, negotiates a cease-fire with his Russian counterpart. The President manages to make contact with Alice, who at first doubts the identity of his commander-in-chief. However, after much urging and conversation, Alice comes to realize that the man he is speaking to is authentic. The President orders Alice to turn the bombers around. Doing so earns the ire of Condor, who relieves Alice of his command. Condor then orders America's nuclear submarines to launch their arsenal when they emerge in 7 hours time. The President makes contact with Condor and attempts to order him to relinquish command. Condor refuses as he believes to be speaking to a Soviet imposter. Knowing that Condor has his authenticator codes, the President is powerless to call off the order himself.

During the 7-hour window, the President and Alice attempt to create a plan to stop Condor. Alice then states that he will use the Looking Glass as a weapon to intercept the E-4B, thus killing Condor and relinquishing authority to the President. The President refutes the plan, urging that there must be another way. Alice convinces him otherwise, and the President accepts his sacrifice. Several hours elapse as Alice attempts to catch up to Condor, who declares the Looking Glass to be manned by treasonous men. Minutes before the submarines emerge and the order is given to launch, the Looking Glass intercepts the E-4B, killing everyone onboard both. Command is returned to the President who orders a full cessation of hostilities of his military. The Soviet Union responds in kind. However, the outcome of the conflicts in the Middle East and the Soviets and Chinese are left unanswered.

During these events, a subplot focuses on Polar Bear One, a B-52 Stratofortress bomber on a mission to the Soviet Union with a nuclear payload. The book explores the enormous psychological stress which the crew must endure during the mission - several of the crew crack under this pressure. It is this bomber that abandons its mission and turns away from Russia.

Television adaptation

The book was made into a television movie, By Dawn's Early Light. There are some significant differences between the two - most significantly, in the movie the initial nuclear exchange is prompted by renegade Russian terrorists rather than part of a Soviet plot. This is likely intended to avoid demonizing either side as being the aggressor. Another element of the movie is a romantic subplot between the captain of the B-52 and his female co-pilot, something absent from the book.