[Xzylvador]

Devoted watched the other guys at work with the technical stuff, mentally preparing himself for the decent, when he suddenly looked around suspiciously.
"If we're doing this one at a time, I could just levitate us one person at a time, using the descenders just as a safe... Wait. What did you mean with 'cocoons were carried to the higher floors?' How high exactly? Did they survive? These upper floors are clear of those astral bacteria. If they were brought here..."

[Junkrig]

At the edge of the glass, Jack eyes down the descent and tries to gauge whether or not he'd have room to clear a base jump safely if it came down to it.

When he hears the sudden tinge of concern in Devoted's voice, Jack steadily brings his battle rifle around to ready and then looks up, scanning the room's ceilings, first in thermographic mode and then in lowlight with his helmet lowlight headlamp flipped on, zooming in to take a look at any items of interest.

[Kontact]

"They were carried up to the site of the second nest on the 80th.  The first nest lasted less than a year before the fire.  The second nest lasted much longer, but it never grew.  As I understand they never found a way to summon a queen or turn a new shaman to their cause.  The magical concentration is likely the reason this place was targeted to begin with, but it seems their recruitment efforts were less successful than calculated."

[inca1980]

Machete who is positioned near the window ready for the climb down, reconsiders once he hears that the descenders are needed to deactivate the zappers.

"I"ll go down with the first shipment.  Sounds like those bugs aren't gonna be a threat at all."

After activating the first descender he'll start moving down with the first cargo load.

[Kontact]

As Machete begins to pull the levers to release the large plexiglass window, the AI speaks up, shifting guns to the ready.
"There are other things than bugs to consider.  For example, there is our agreement.  Something must be done about the situation downstairs.  If you leave without taking any steps toward a resolution, then you are going back on your word.  Also is the matter of negotiating the arrangement with the tenants downstairs.  I guaranteed your safety so that you would in turn guarantee mine.  Leaving things as they are now is not acceptable."

[Crossbow]

Digger looks to Jack as he speaks, clearly looking for support.  He has probably had to speak more a this job than he ever has and is perfectly willing to pass on the task.

"Whachu need from us?  Jack is going to negotiate wit da squats, and we don't want no part bug fairy, is there somethin' else?"

[Kontact]

"It would be nice to have means to communicate with you outside these few rooms other than turning on my satellite array, beaming a message to a low earth orbit satellite and then hoping that the message is routed back to the matrix where it waits for you to reenter matrix range.  Do you have a matrix-ready device which could be hardwired into the systems here?  I have no local connection on that frequency.  Perhaps a commlink or that damaged drone?  As to the situation with the elf, you are already in the middle of that.  You sent out video and reports to someone named Mike.  I could not stop these communications or I would have.  As it is, they are a source of great concern for me.  Until that concern is addressed, I fear I will be quite agitated."

[Junkrig]

"We can leave the drone," Jack replies, shifting his weight as he scans the facial expressions of the rest of the team,  "but we've got to get to ground level before I can open negotiations with the locals." He pauses, then continues,  "If we can get Mike back on the line here, we can bounce him the rest of the trid. That should convince him and anyone else he knows that Holland ain't up here. And that eight-bit bug-mess impersonating him ain't worth shit."

[Xzylvador]

"No, we can't leave the drone. I said I'd get that drone out of here and I'm keeping my word. Can't we use Code's or Ruckus' commlink?", Devoted said in a tone that left no doubt that there was no talking him out of it. To back up his words, both his and the drones' feet were lifted of the floor and hovered half a meter above it.

[Junkrig]

Jack suppresses a sneer as he watches Devoted and the metal hunk of dog float, his lips cracking into a sort of convalescent grin. "Aight - who's got Ruckus' commlink? I'd rather not leave Code's, case I run into any trouble op'ing the others from my link."

[Crossbow]

Digger tosses Jack the commlink Mike outfitted them with.  "Dunno if his melted or not, use this, it's already got Mikey's number in it."

[inca1980]

Machete starts cleaning his fingernails with the tip of his blade while he waits for the AI to respond....

[Junkrig]

A hand flies up, catching the tossed device and flipping open the seal, exposing the few external access ports on the commlink. Jack wonders for a moment how he's going to wire this piece-o-drek, lo-tech modern marvel into the aging systems of the building falling down around them. He scans the walls of the nearby area looking for a patch panel or exposed wiring, ears cocked for the AI to chime in any moment now ...

[Kontact]

Jack finds a, well, jackpoint in the form of the reception computer in front of the stairs.  Pulling the patch cable out, he quickly attaches Ruckus' link into the system.  It's a piece of crap, so the signal doesn't go very far, but it should allow direct communication as long as the blimp remains around that altitude. 

In less than a second, Hector's syrupy, simulated voice comes in over your earphones.  <<"Thank you, that is much better.  Well, at least it is an improvement.  So, if you would like to head down, please do, but I would be happy to discuss the situation concerning the elf while you descend.  I can only hear what transpires in that room, not see, so I am not fully aware of the situation.  However, from what I have gathered, killing the elf would force the bugs into the FAB clouds, but it would also likely spur the bugs to violence.  Doomed, rampaging insect spirits is not a favorable consequence for anyone.  So the task is to find a way to eliminate them all without causing severe collateral damage.">>

[Xzylvador]

Devoted closed his eyes, took a deep breath and focused on a silent prayer inside his head, begging the gods to give him strength. He opened his eyes while he slowly exhaled. I can do this.
"Maybe I can get Ruckus down first to keep an eye out and make sure the ground is safe to touch down on. If it works, I might be able to do the same for all of us, Gods willing."
He carefully guided the hovering drone through the open window, himself floating a little behind.