The older man listened to the rookie's tactical assessment, and found it sound. Stake had taught him well, or perhaps he'd picked it up before Stake took him under his wing. The relationship between the kid and that gang had been niggling at him some.
But this wasn't really Mercer's area - sneak and peek was something that Shadowrunners did, not Hunters. Sure, you might sneak up on a nest, but if you were going in, you were going in heavy. Responding to his question about the smaller Kanmushi drone and/or running his Fly-Spys through the ducts, he replies in the negative.
"Sorry, son. I ain't kitted out for spookin'. The flyin' drones are for tactical awareness, not intelligence gatherin'. They can spot a tick on a neutered hound's testicles, but they ain't much for fittin' inta tight spaces - 'tain't got the software for it. They can be sneaky as black cat on a moonless night, though, if'n we can find a more suitable route to follow or if the ducts you mention are wide enough to maneuver easy." The southern color was more for Nori's sake - it made her giggle, and often eased the nerves of the troops, especially when the news was less than positive.
As for Achak heading in solo, he's wary of any member going into danger alone. He runs through scenarios in his mind should Achak be discovered. He'd be on the second floor, so getting to him, even if the front door weren't guarded, would be risky and take at least 30 seconds, probably more like a minute. That's a long time for a man to be alone against hard targets. Maybe a distraction in the front would allow him to escape, but he expected the opposition was disciplined enough to fight effectively on two fronts. No, if Achak were discovered, it'd be bad.
"If they see you after you enter the building, you'll have to stay breathin' for a minute or more all on your own - we got no evac plan shorter than that. Standing your ground would be suicide if they got more than a couple men on the inside." Mercer popped the smuggling compartment and retrieved a couple small black canisters about the size of an elongated old style C cell battery. He handed them to Achak. "This one's thermal smoke, and this one's knock-out gas. Throw them both over your shoulder as you haul ass, then either get the hell out of the building or find a defensible hidey hole. It'll improve your odds dramatically. If you still think this is a good idea, that is."
He thought about it for a moment. "'course, if you're reasonable sure they ain't got ultrasound or that astral sight, the thermal smoke mixed with your spooky-vision could even some pretty uneven odds, but I still say a dive out the second story window'd probably be safer. Now, I ain't the quietest type, but I'd prefer we find a way for at least two of us to enter the building so if things go sideways, help is a double-tap away instead of across a busy street, through a guarded door, then up a flight of stairs. Hell, if the Sister or I could at least get as far as the back door, that'd go a long way toward making me feel heaps better about sending you in alone."