[Kontact]

"That is exceptionally difficult to answer.  My ability to monitor the situation has been limited for some time due to the conditions in that section of the building.  As far as I can tell, the only way to survive for that long without food or water is by consuming ambient magic power from the nearby insect spirits.  The effects of this are unknown but significant.  I have researched published magical journals extensively and found no analogous situations.  There is no telling, from my perspective, what may have happened or will happen should the situation change, however I suspect that she will never again be sane nor, technically, metahuman."

[Junkrig]

In one fluid motion, Jack's hand slips into his front pouch, retrieves a soft-pack of Death's Head cigarettes, and taps the bottom to pop a single cigarette out and into his mouth. He sets the pack back in his pouch while his hand comes up with a lighter. He breathes deep and exhales, seemingly more relaxed as he replies, "Any of your equipment on those levels survived? I mean, any way we can pop some panels on a floor above, melt some wax, and improve your access to shoot trid or lead? Or are there any ventilation or utility routes through that region that you know of which may have not been inhabited? Seems muckin' with that mage - or those floors - ain't goin' to be pretty, one way or another."

[Crossbow]

Digger is quite happy to hear from Jack, but when he figures out the gist of the conversation, he decides to keep his peace and let things play out on their own while he examines the emergency decent systems on these upper floors.

While doing so he makes a call on his own link "Yo Tony, you guys still awake down there?  Hope so cuz the party is almost over, and we are gonna need our designated drivers soon."

[Kontact]

Southside Chicago.  October 9th, 2072.  6:42pm - 106th floor.

The AI responded  "Directly around the area of the set, no.  Most of the surveillance is stationed in the hallways around the set, and most of that is frozen in place by the sputum which the bugs applied to everything.  There was some automated security on those floors, however none in the area of the set.  That in the area surrounding was either sabotaged or ran out of ammunition 5632 days ago."

Southside Chicago.  October 9th, 2072.  6:48pm - 109th floor.

The bottles were packed and everyone was ready to start the descent.  Digger called down to the two southside Mafia guys still waiting in the back of Code's van while Code's 2nd doberman drone patrolled the car yard.
<<"Yeah, we're here waiting.  Good to know you ain't dead, Digs.  No one's tried anything yet, but it only just got dark.  Soon as the traffic at this little trade depot dies down, I'm sure someone will come snooping around.  I'll make sure they know that when this car leaves, it won't be in their possession.  How's things going by the way.  You guys have been fucking around up there for a while longer than we expected.>>

[Crossbow]

"Yeah, that'll happen when an 'abandoned' tower turns out to be more crowded than the track the day after payday.  You saw the big winged ugly that took the high dive earlier?  Yeah that was the welcoming committee, bringing tea and cakes, then things started getting rough."  Digger kept his hands busy while he chatted with the boys, moving through the leveled offices, checking out the decenders.

"So anyway, we will be there soon I hope, look for us to 'drop in' and be ready to get to work."

[Junkrig]

The smoke from Jack's cigarette billows up, meaninglessly filling the air of the open lobby. "If you can't see too much on your feeds, let me see what I can find out. Mebbe we can ring up the ol' boy himself to tell us how he's doing." Jack' s eyes blink out momentarily while he mentally initiates a node scan on his commlink. He then continues, "Do you mind if I ask about your power source? When I go chat with the community below, I'll need to let them know what a reasonable amount to draw is, and we'll have to figure out where they'll be able to run copper from, to tap in. Are you running on auxillary rooftop solar or ?"

[Xzylvador]

Devoted checked his hazmat suit to see if it was done refilling its air tank.
"So guys, what's the plan? Are we going down the way we came or  trying a quicker way from the outside of the tower. If we're not interrupted I'm sure I can pull it off... but so far we haven't really had much luck on the whole 'non-interrupted' thing."

[Crossbow]

"Only problem I can see with a fast rope and float down is the big-ass fraggin' bush we gotta bring out too, that and the drone." Digger calls out from where he is working at the moment.  "Dunno if any other way is gonna get us out at all.  I am trying to rig something here to solve the weight problems, but if I am wasting my time somebody better speak up cuz I am gonna hafta get my will updated before we try anything else."

[Kontact]

"Flywheel energy storage system.  There are several clusters of them throughout the complex.  Right now the lower bank alone has over 6 gigajoules of energy stored in it, and it will replenish with each day at a rate variable on the weather and seasons.  They can drain it as they like.  It is not connected to the same circuit as my systems."

[Junkrig]

Jack's eyes light up. By 2070s standards it was not a huge amount of energy, but in the zone, controlling the equivalent of a magic barrel of oil that kept replenishing itself is something folks would eagerly kill over. "Calypso will love to here about this," Jack thinks to himself, recalling his lieutenant buddy with the Union. He and Jack weren't the closest of allies, but they'd availed each other of their services frequently in the past, and Jack figured he'd be the best guy to try and broker a deal with once he finally made it downstairs.

"Fantastic. Let me know if there are any areas that I should inform them to be off limits."

[Kontact]

"All areas above the 60th floor will be off limits once they have been emptied out.  Other than that, they are free to take anything which is not nailed down.  My systems are not in such a place that they can be picked up and carried off, but it would be best if they did not dig into the walls to scrounge for pipes or wires.  I am still the caretaker of this building, and it upsets me on a primitive level when it is damaged.  As to what has become of the elf, I would stay as far away as possible.  She is very unstable. I would prefer if you kept your contact to a minimum and refrained from mentioning my presence.  As long as whatever rational part of her thinks you still believe her lies as well as she does, you should be safe.  If you confront her with the truth, I suspect it will go poorly for you."

[Xzylvador]

Devoted didn`t want to interrupt the conversation and felt even less for talking to the AI, so he asked the two that were with him,  "Why in Tyr`s name does that computer keep talking about Holland as a she?"

[Kontact]

"That isn't Holland Greene.  The monkey had a recording of the secondary nesting event.  I assumed you already knew."

[Crossbow]

That bit of chatter made Digger stop his system check.

"Uh, no, we didn't know.  What the hell is a 'secondary nesting event'?  And how can you hear us talk up here, but not pipe up when I was looking to chat before?  Nevermind, doesn't matter.  Hey, can you do something about external defenses so we can use the emergency decenders?"

[Junkrig]

Jack had previously brushed off Hector's odd use of gender as the AI's inability to easily distinguish genders, so he's somewhat relieved to hear the basis for the seemingly misplaced pronoun usage. After all, the more advanced this AI is, the more useful he might be as a potential ally.  Jack quickly cuts his attempt to contact Holland's commlink, and then realizes the length of the ash at the end of his cigarette has now reached epic proportions. He takes a long look around the sparse, clean room, and then looks at the gun turret facing him, "Also, mind if I walk upstairs and find an ashtray?"