(Run  01/04/09)

Date: Friday, 17.01.2070

For some time, the sleaziest and most horrible strip club in Brisbane - affectionately referred to as Uncle Tony's - has been the site of business in the shadows.  Despite the obvious distaste of some members of the team for the location of the meet, they dutifully gathered on Uncle Tony's sticky floors, drinking room temperature beer, and listened to the offer.

Seemed needlessly complex.  Apparently an individual named Jason Ottmeyer had been recently working for AComSol, one of the fastest growing telecommunications companies after the Storms stopped and the country was open for business again.  Renraku had headhunted Ottmeyer, presumably for his skills and talent.

A memo had been intercepted by the organisation seeking to hire the team; a notice from HR suggesting Ottmeyer take a mandatory holiday as he had come to work immediately after leaving AComSol.  The Mr Johnson explained that his organisation had organised a team to kidnap Ottmeyer at his holiday retreat in Palm Cove and obtain as much useful corporate knowledge from him as possible.  Due to unforeseen difficulties, the team had to be withdrawn and a new team had to leave immediately to replace Ottmeyer back in his room and ensure that he and Renraku had no idea anyone was interested in him, enjoying the rest of his holiday.

The last point was that they needed a more combat-ready team as they had just received information that Horizon had organised an American team to attempt to extract Ottmeyer, and they may not be as subtle as would be hoped.  This other team had to be stopped, and hopefully in a way that no one would be the wiser.

With an offer of 50,000 nuyen on the table for the Run, the team agreed, packed some overnight bags (which included some items they were probably thankful they didn't have to go through airport security for), and hopped on the private flight to Cairns.  From there, they picked up a rental van, and drove the distance up to Palm Cove, still a desirable tourist location in 2070, and the spa capital of the country.

They made contact with the remaining leader of the previous team, a professional young lady going by the handle of Smiles.  She explained that her team had organised a room in the Meridian hotel, a short walk away from the Wavefront where Ottmeyer was staying for the week.  She had observed his patterns and managed to seduce him at the Wavefront's bar and convince him to return with her for a night of passion.  What he got was a night of being drugged and interrogated.

Smiles further explained that a dwarf, known only as Mr Roderick, was with Ottmeyer as a handler of some description.  She had managed to take Ottmeyer away for an evening and were going to continue with the ruse, but Sewer Rat - her team's technical expert - had intercepted a call from Mr Roderick indicating that he might have recognised Smiles.  This was a distinct possibility as Smiles had done a Run previously against Renraku and encountered Mr Roderick.  Instructions from her team's higher-ups told them to pack up and evacuate as the team had been comprimised and a new team would perform the rest of the operation.

Meanwhile, Doozer had managed to plug himself into the security node, such as it was, for the Wavefront.  He was just in time to watch a slightly bored Monkey get drunk with Ishmael - successfully maintaining a holding pattern on his alcoholism - only then to unsucessfully hit on some young girls who promptly vomited on him.

Back in the Meridian, Smiles answered Adamar's remaining questions over the unconscious Ottmeyer while Sharp took Ottmeyer's clothes into the bathroom to prepare himself.  Smiles' obvious shock when Ottmeyer walked out of the bathroom was palpable, and as Sharp took the rest of Ottmeyer's personal belongings, Smiles explained that there was probably about six hours remaining of the knockout drug and there were no replacements.  Dismissed by Adamar, she took her gear and jumped out the window.

Sharp returned to the Wavefront to sleep there as Ottmeyer, while, to the surprise of the rest of the team if they'd been there, he transformed into a crow (leaving all his clothes behind) and flew out the window to observe the Wavefront.

The rest of the evening was passing uneventfully.  That was until Doozer intercepted a call from the Wavefront's secure line.  The cops had been called, and the only advice or notification was, "It's that thing again."

What will happen next?  Ottmeyer is unconscious and naked in a bed at the Meridian with the window wide open and no one to watch him save a pile of clothes.  There's been no sign of the supposed American team, and who contacted the cops and why?