"I know more than you do!!" AKA look, he knows a lot about Nasods but he's not gonna pretend he has any idea how to pilot this deathtrap. He's trying his best! He found some controls, that has to count for something!!

Add is still trying to squirm his way free, though Jakob's next words do make him pause. He shoots his shinki an incredulous look. "Seriously?! You think abandoning an out-of-control defense unit is plan A? First of all, if it crashed or got lost that would be a total waste of a perfectly good Nasod specimen! Secondly, what do you think's going to happen if we leave it here, it doesn't have infinite fuel sources! It could crash-land on our temple! Third—"

Another rant is cut off by a loud click as they both slip down a little. Between Jakob's clinging for dear life and Add's stubborn flailing, they finally managed to yank down that lever. There's another hiss and a creak of grinding metal and turning gears, the holoscreens at the front of the cockpit parting as a sliver of light cuts through the dark interior...

... yeah, so, turns out the hatch does still work, it was just kind of stuck. And now they're several thousand feet up in the air with the door open, a dozen different safety warnings are flashing all around them, and no one has their seatbelts on.

Add stops flailing and grabs onto Jakob, the roar of wind almost enough to drown out his voice even at this range. "Pull it back up!"