[So (with mod permission) Giovanni managed to sneak into the Partition with a little magic (no, literally, he got Zatanna to give him red circuits to get inside) and from there learned a few interesting tidbits of information that he would like to get out to the rest of the Investigators. He also stole some Defender armor and a baton or two but that's completely besides the point.

Thus, as Giovanni makes his way back out of the Partition with his stolen goods the Assassin sends out a quiet message on the psychic network. His mental voice is calm and controlled, but it would be hard to miss the undercurrent of excitement and import in the words as well.]

I have managed to find out a few things about our dear 'friends' the Defenders today.

In case you did not get the chance to meet him on our first day here, there was a one-eyed program watching critically over the proceedings. That is the Defender known as JORD1 and he is their leader. Talk around the fortress--or Partition as they call it--indicates that he is a very dedicated program when it comes to his function. It quickly became clear that he will do whatever it takes to defend the system no matter the cost. That cost could be quite high, I fear, if given the chance but I'll come back to that point in a moment.

The Partition itself is a curious place. For any of those interested in such information the fortress is composed of four quarters: the barracks, the armory, the Ports, and the Administration Tower. (If anyone would like an actual map of the area I could provide a sketch should you wish for one.) The former two places I mentioned are self-explanatory; the latter two are quite important. The Ports have something to do with a network of communication and only two programs have access to them apparently. JORD1, naturally the Defender leader would have control over this vital process, and a program known as ROSE, a Miner I believe. It would seem though that ROSE never uses the Ports. Whether that is a recent development or not, I could not say for certain.

[After a small pause he continues.]

The Administration Tower is full of the Defenders' more critical functions. It houses not only the higher key figures but several detention cells full of programs waiting to be processed and rooms dedicated to [he speaks this next carefully, slowly:] the re-purposing of programs. [It's clear from his tone he doesn't like the sound of that. It's possible he witnessed this from a hiding spot, or at least heard enough from a dark corner somewhere nearby to figure out what it entailed, and Did Not Like.] I also made a trip to the scrupulously guarded dungeon of the Tower and found a very interesting item there. Like most things here it glowed with a bright current of power, however, I had a feeling it was more than just a trinket considering the circumstances and waited long enough to discover its name and purpose.

[He swears he did not put a pause to his words here for dramatic purposes but it occurred anyway as he collected his thoughts carefully before proceeding with the business end of his tirade.]

They called it 'the Bomb.'

I do not think I have to explain the implications of such a device. Least to say, I fear what may be done with it if it is used and--not to cause any alarms--but from what I gathered I have little doubt the Prime Defender would think twice to use it if he felt the need to do so.

On a further note, I do not suggest trying to get into the Partition to steal the device. [Or the Recognizer. Guys, seriously, do not try to steal the Recognizer without including Giovanni in the very brief joyride that would entail.] It was heavily guarded and even I had some small difficulty getting out once the illusion upon my ..circuitry.. wore off. [Although getting in and out was the only hard part for Giovanni; sneaking around inside had been a relative cake-walk for the stealthy Assassin.] Besides, the consequences that would likely incite would be devastating to this Grid. The Defenders could easily obliterate the other programs in the System. I suggest instead a different route to prevent its use: let us simply make sure events do not unfold to make it a necessary evil for the Defenders to use it. That means waiting, of course, and keeping a sharp eye upon things while we are here. It may not be ideal but I urge to err on the side of caution.

[There is a considerably more lengthy pause here this time, purposeful, an allowance for everything he just said and implied to sink in with anyone listening. Hopefully, he hasn't started a panic or encouraged an overzealous individual to take things into their own hands. But he wanted to get the information out there so everyone could be aware of the potential danger should it come to pass.]

I am open to further discussion upon any matter mentioned just now. I will try to answer as many questions as I can to any that may have them.