Looking forward to a relaxing afternoon away from the trials of Department Z, Bob Kerr eagerly awaits the arrival of fellow agent Lois Dacre. He is temporarily amused by the sight of a passer-by oddly dressed in an enormous fur coat on an exceptionally warm day. Disrupted from his reverie by a call from Agent Craigie, Kerr is alerted to new developments in the principality of Vallena. Kerr cuts the call short to answer a knock at his door.