Unfinished Business pt. 2, 4 and 5

(Player note: Max was not available for sessions 1 and 3)
 
Why was this calculation not working? There must be something I’m overlooking. Max continues working on his work in the physics lab at Millennium City University when a familiar voice came into being within my head.
 
“Maximum Resistance, the team could use your assistance. If available, please let me know.” The familiar voice of Socrates said to me.
 
“I’m available, Socrates. I’m heading to Homestead now, what is the situation?”, I replied. I put down my homework and found a convenient location to change.
 
“A couple of team members went to investigate an abandoned Demon lair. They have encountered resistance and could use assistance.” He responded. “We are looking to potentially use this facility as an alternate base of operations.”
 
Having shifted to my familiar blue armored form, I began teleporting across the city to reach Homestead, our current base of operations in the city. “Socrates, where is this base located? Should I head there?”.
 
“The base is in London, Ontario, Canada. Please come to Homestead as travel has been arranged. You will be accompanied by Faust.” Socrates replied.
 
Faust, hmm. Not a name I have heard for a while. He was one of the original “New Champions” but became scarce shortly after forming. This will be the first time seeing him in a while.
 
I arrived at Homestead base within a couple minutes to find Faust already there, as well as Runeforce. I greet Faust with a solid handshake and a “Good to see you again.” and shake hands with Runeforce as well.
 
“Good to be back.” Faust replies while returning the handshake.
 
“Gentlemen, are you ready for transport?” Runeforce asked. “I can take you there, but I have other pressing matters, so I will just be dropping you off.”
 
With that, Runeforce focuses for a moment and the world around us changes from our familiar base to that of what seems to be a cave. Hmm, not much curb appeal. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t have HGTV running while I study.
 
Faust and I take a quick look around. Runeforce gives us a quick “Be safe.” Before beginning the teleport to wherever he may be off to.
 
We begin moving further into the cave and find the bodies of what appear to be demons, like actual demons, not people in Demon armor. At this point, we hear noise ahead. Faust and I move further into the cave system and see Wildthing and a couple other female forms that I do not recognize.
 
The women appear to be fighting some sort of frogs. In fact, one very dark form appears to be covered in frog bits. I hope it was the demons in the last room we will be assisting with and not frogs.
 
After the others make quick work of the frogs, Faust introduces himself and one of the unknowns introduces herself as Nemesis, apparently someone who had been held captive here. Interesting, considering this installation has been abandoned for a few years. The other does not give a name, but says she is non-hostile, but will respond to aggression.
 
Faust and Nemesis were able to force what appeared to be a blast door open, giving us the opportunity to progress further in the base, into what looked like a large hallway with doors on each side. They looked like small rooms behind, possibly cells. Given the control panels outside the rooms, this would seem to be likely.
 
Individual began looking at the control panels and the doors. I mostly stayed back, being a bit wary of these newcomers, given past events. The dark one, who is apparently named Ghost, while I don’t recognize them, seems familiar. Their flying attack on the frogs, I’ve seen that before. The other one, Nemesis, having been a prisoner in an abandoned base, also doesn’t seem right, but we are not talking about anything “normal” regarding most of the people I have met recently.
 
I was quite entertained, and somewhat fascinated by the others attempting to figure out the control panels. I might have been able to help, but they seemed happy to be pressing buttons trying to figure it out, and I was still mostly giving my attention to surveilling the unknown newcomers.
 
After several minutes of the group investigating the hallway, computers, and the large blast door on the far side of the room, which appeared to be controlled from the other side of the door, it was determined that we could not open the door normally. Ghost then attempted to fly into the door at full speed, and was not able to take out the door, while Nemesis was doing some sort of analysis of the door. Nemesis was able to finish the job Ghost started by attacking the door with a sword, leaving a large gash in the door big enough for people to get through.
 
Nemesis moved into the room out my immediate sight, Ghost following directly after. I could definitely see cold emanating from the room, but unsure of the cause. They were shortly followed by Wildthing.
 
Eventually, I was able to investigate the room after everyone else had entered. I teleported to the top of the room and held myself in mid-air there. A large portal dominated the room, frogs pouring out of it. Computer systems lining a couple walls as well as one system facing the portal. Nemesis and Faust are attacking the frame of the portal. The portal eventually fell to the heroes and I entangled everyone in the room, heroes and frogs alike, and then the team proceeded to making frog pâté.
 
At this point, my attention shifts to the various computer systems in the room, particularly the console that was facing and apparently controlling the portal. I began working on the systems in conjunction with Socrates. Within a section of storage, I came across a section that was obviously not part of the original system. The “program” for lack of a better term was not standard code. I kept digging into this, while the rest of the team decided to move forward. If they need me, they know where they can find me.
 
There is “something” in this computer. Something sentient, but not an AI like Socrates. I did not get the sense of malevolence. Some references to Mother. Sean Rogers, the former Silver Avenger, mentioned this was not standard Demon tech.
 
Sometime later, unsure how long, I heard the sounds of combat, but no real callouts for help. But shortly after, I heard ominous sounds that gave me pause. I stepped away from the computer and began moving in the direction the team left, which was also toward the noise. I caught up with the team and found them about to square off with two screaming and wailing demons for lack of a better description. Behind them, two stone golems appeared to be fighting another, different type of demon.
 
At this point the two demons closest to us, that now seemed to be making the noise that first grabbed my attention, started walking towards us, scythes in hands. Faust stepped forward to introduce himself when the reaper demons apparently didn’t take that as intended and took a swing at him with his evil looking weapon, fortunately missing. The other demon did not miss however and sent Faust flying.
 
The scrum had commenced. There was a lot of roaring, attacks, the swing (and stealing) of scythes, as we initially focused on the first demon to step forward, hopefully to take down their numbers. Eventually, after quite the long battle, the demons fail to the team, but the two golems were still fighting it out with the third demon, who now had the team’s full attention. That focused attention caused him to fold rather quickly under the combined might of the team and golems.
 
With that battle complete, our way forward was opened exposing another large room with one corner taken up by what could only really be described as a large pudding-like entity surrounded by more of the evil frogs that we saw in the portal room, the frogs attacking the pudding beast.
 
Seeing the frogs, the team rushed to engage. After various attacks and entangles, most of the frogs were dispatched, save for one group who had been entangled by Sandcrab. This group, unleashed some sort of demonic attack in an area around them, slowing all movement in a fair-sized area around them. The frogs themselves did not last that long, but the demon touchy-feely area they created lasted a bit longer.
 
With more dispatched frogs strewn across the room, the real challenge began, communicating with “Mother”. Faust made the first attempt by touching Mother, and it was as expected, a pudding-like consistency. After a couple attempts by people to communicate, I moved back to the computer I had originally learned about Mother. After some time, I was finally able to get back in and get Socrates access and have Socrates contact Mother. Turns out Mother came to be in this base as a semi-sentient entity that is part computer, part magic and part of the base. Socrates was able to make Mother a subroutine and control the base through it.
 
Now to repair all the damage we caused getting here…
 
Max Notes: Ghost seems familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it as to why quite yet. Nemesis seems interesting, further analysis required. Will await Socrotes' report on both. It was good to see Faust back with the group, hope his time away was good. I wonder what the practical applications are of the glowing slime Mother uses to teleport things around could be, how long does it last, what are its limits. Too many questions. Given our experience with these hard targts, both demons and golems, perhaps we can start moving the team to actually start working as a team and put in some teamwork to get these types of things dealt with easier.