People's Lobby, the terrorist group believed to be planning the act of terrorism. Skellen tells his wife that he will be going away for a while on a mission. A foreign man, Andrey Malek, arranges with a city banker for the distribution of large sums of money to organisations including the People's Lobby. Skellen arranges to meet Leith at a bar frequented by People's Lobby members, and initiates a sexual relationship with her, to the annoyance of Walker and his underlings, Helga and Mac. Leith takes Skellen to the organisation's lair and introduces him to the group. Leith appreciates Skellen's SAS background, and offers him a job as security consultant to the People's Lobby; she also allows him to move in with her. To strengthen Skellen's cover story, Hadley informs Hagen and Freund of Skellen's location; the wronged men attack Skellen at Leith's home and inflict a severe beating. As a result, Leith's few remaining doubts about Skellen dissipate, but Walker and his cronies still are not fully convinced. Helga observes Skellen meeting the same unknown individual (Ryan) in various locations. Their scrutiny intensifies when Walker and his associates witness Skellen's meeting with his wife and daughter. They use photos from their surveillance to convince Leith that Skellen is not all he seems. Walker orders Helga to kill Ryan, cutting Skellen's link to Hadley. Hadley has no choice but to trust Skellen's abilities to uncover the group's plans and escape alive. He orders police protection for Skellen's family. Despite his official advisory capacity, Skellen is denied details about the upcoming People's Lobby operation. On the day of the operation, Leith and Walker instruct Helga and Mac to take Skellen's family hostage. Helga and Mac overpower the policeman on guard duty outside the Skellen home, bundling him inside as an additional hostage with Skellen's wife and child. Leith uses this to blackmail Skellen into unconditional co-operation. The terrorists and Skellen arrive at the US Ambassador's residence in a hijacked coach. Wearing stolen US Air Force uniforms, they gain entry to the secure compound and take hostages of the US Ambassador, the US Secretary of State, the Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Air Command (SAC), and the British Foreign Secretary, along with their wives and the residence staff. Hadley and his police counterpart, Commander Powell, arrive at the residence to receive the demands of the terrorists: unless a US nuclear missile is launched at