22. Night Watch

Complete story — includes the ending

Thousands of nuclear missiles launched from Russia and aimed for the US are detected. Conrad is convinced to order a counterattack, but his initial order is delayed when the receiving officer is removed from duty. His second attempt to launch American missiles goes through. At the last moment, a general who had loaded a simulation on the backup server that had inadvertently been triggered is able to abort the launches. Shaken and horrified by the near miss, Elizabeth argues that they need to revisit their nuclear deterrence policies. She is able to convince Russia to agree to discuss de-alerting missiles. To gain public support for the revised treaty, Conrad gives a public address revealing the recent incident. Elizabeth tells Henry that she does not want to see this progress undone and intends to run for president.