Roger Harvey decided to leave the crowded underground train at Balham station and take the bus the rest of the way to the old War Office in Whitehall. As he was exiting the train, a youth bumped into him, shoved a pink plastic carrier bag into his hand, and disappeared into the crowd. Just as Roger was about to reach the street, a young woman came rushing in the opposite direction, collided with him, and fell heavily to the ground, winded. He helped the girl to her feet and, feeling sorry for her, suggested they have a coffee at the coffee house next to the station. When their drinks arrived, the girl noticed the plastic carrier bag Roger was still holding and asked about it. Inside, Roger found several sheets covered in chemical formulas that the girl recognized as potentially hazardous. As a military intelligence officer working for a supposedly non-existent government security department, Roger decided that the girl, whose name he had learned was Jasmine, and the chemicals deserved investigation.