Oxenfree

Come out, come out, wherever you are...

Cover art by Coldesign

... They finally had us. Years of evasion since the collapse, years of hardship, and years of training all meaningless as I hold my wife and daughter, staring down the barrel of its gun. I've seen what it does to people. During the invasion, I watched as people screamed and writhed in pain. I wonder how many humans are even left. I look to my family. I hope i'ts quick, at least for them.

The being from the stars made the familiar clicking and growls as it took aim. We heard the gunshot, but it wasn't the pulsing sound we had come to know...

— The Debriefing of John Doe

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"Olly Olly, Oxenfree." It's a strange phrase with unknown origins screamed by children during times of play. The phrase has several meanings. It's used to indicate that players who are hiding can come out into the open without losing the game, that the position of the sides in a game has changed, as in which side is in the field or which side is at bat or "up" in baseball or kickball, or, alternatively, that the game is entirely over.
In The Web, there is a group of explorers, closely connected to The Alexandrian University and The Magicians of Carthage . It grew from humble origins to become an organization that is most known for its travel across multiple realities and between dimensions. They study the very fabric of reality in search of answers to a single question: Where is Michael?

Origins

One hot summer day on a playground in the American midwest, an eight year old boy on recess hides in a storm drain nearby. Hide and seek was always a favorite among the other kids.
The boy's name was Michael Graham and he disappeared that day, staring at a strange symbol created by the crossing of light in the drain. The storm drain he was hiding in was the last place he was seen. His father, Harry Graham, founded Oxenfree after spending months waiting for the authorities to find his son.
One day he returned to this storm drain and left the boys stuffed bear inside. He waited, falling asleep during his stake out, and woke to find the bear was gone at the same time almost to the minute, when Michael vanished. He would routinely return, but it took another week for him to notice the streams of light, seeping into the drain from holes poked into the metal over time. At 12:35 every day the lights would cross creating a strange geometric star.
A portal opened to a world of fire and flame, a world his son surely couldn't have entered. He continued to study, using his fortune and influence to further study the many worlds that he could see in hopes of finding the one his son wandered into.

The Requirementiem

The first world that Oxenfree was ever able to travel to was a wide open Pocket reality that had whatever was needed by those who dwell within. The reality literally develops raw materials and substances that is asked of it. The name Requirementiem was chosen, and Oxenfree chose it as their base of operations, far from the praying eyes of The Web and far from any of the organizations in it that may get in the way.

The Mission

Oxenfree is on a single mission. They are looking for Michael Graham and others who have disappeared simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They call them hiders, and they are much more common than most would want to admit. In the process of their search, they explore the strange worlds they encounter, collecting what they can to make their search easier. The members of Oxenfree call themselves seekers and their search is never ending.
Since Harry Graham found the secret to traveling to other world, they have grown to almost 3000 members, each with their own role in The Requirementariem

Hide and Seek

Oxenfree is an organization that is most known for its often childlike demeanor. Just about every element of the organization from its gear, its operations, and even it's call callsigns stem from things associated with children. The names of games often played by children, and famous children's toys are often used to ease the minds of any hiders they encounter. The playful personality that has become synonymous with the Seekers also assist in this endeavor. Assassinations and hunting operations the organization puts together often referred to as games of tag. They often refer to their weapons as "Nerf guns" and even their pride and joy, a massive weapon installation that serves as a mobile base of operations for their excursions are referred to as "Pillow Forts."

What we heard was more familiar, a rifle that landed a shot to the head. We looked up, and the being from the stars fell over, dead. More shots followed, and the others fell in perfect time. We looked around, unsure if we should be relieved or more afraid. My wife tried to speak but I hushed her quickly. I tried to peer into the darkness. No electricity. It makes the night even more dangerous. A man approached us, a human. He was the first human we had seen since they came. My eyes welled up with tears as he raised the strange goggles on his face, revealing a smile. His face was painted, his gear and clothing was black. he was obviously military but I have never seen such equipment before...

— The Debriefing of John Doe

Sacred Geometry

Sacred Geometry is nothing new. It is even in plain view of the population of the world. While what this form of geometry is would better fit in another article, it should be said that none use the system as effectively as Oxenfree. There are numerous configurations of sacred geometry used to achieve different effects by seekers. Some can alter and bend the laws of physics, even altering time, but none are more prized or as mysterious as Michael's Star.

Michael's Star

Michael's Star is the symbol used to create portals to the many realities and dimensions Oxenfree explores. This can only be done by crossing beams of light in such a way that a portal to the configured reality opens.
The star is made from several triangles in a circle, each side skewed by a fraction of a degree so small that i'ts undetectable to the human eye. Oxenfree uses computers to perfectly align the shape exactly as it should be.

On top of this, the rotation of the shape matters just as much, as the slightest change by an infinitely small degree will change what reality you open to. This has made finding Michael exceptionally difficult, as the exact configuration the symbol was in when he disappeared has been lost. Based on various calculations made like the position of the drain pipe, the holes in which the light was traveling through, and the position of the sun at the particular time of year and day that Michael vanished, Oxenfree has predicted the range of configurations leading to realities where Michael is most likely to have went.

Lost to Infinity

The problem presented with this is that the amount of distinct realities to search still nears infinity, as you can break a single degree in an infinite number of parts. Each away team travels somewhere new, some even using alternate versions of Oxenfree from other realities in their search. Each configuration is marked and labeled as a port, having letters and numbers used to name them.

... The stranger got close and I felt uneasy. He wore a patch with the word Oxenfree at the center of some strange geometric pattern. He was talking to someone, reaching for his ear as a female voice replied.
"Marco..." he said. I couldn't make out the reply. He stopped just in front of us, then continued.
"Have a couple of robbers, do we have room?" He seemed uneasy, as if unsure of the answer until he breathed a sigh of relief at her reply.
"We always have room, Graham. Status?"
"For the record, port 617Y3K is a Lost World. Strike it and send some seekers for further investigation. Prepare for evacuation."
"Understood, splash pad cleared, whenever you're ready. Marco 7 out."
He knelt down in front of us, and gave us a smile.
"Harry." He said, removing a glove and reaching out his hand to shake. I gave mine in kind.
"John. Thank you."
"Of course. Always ready to help. Say... you haven't seen a young boy around have you. He'd be about twelve now."
I shook my head, he'd been the first person we've seen in many years.
"No matter," he said, standing up, "I don't think this is where he ended up anyway. You can come with us, if you like. Where were from, these guys don't even exist." He said, lightly kicking at the dead body. I was unsure... but eventually agreed...

— The Debriefing of John Doe

Where is Michael?

A strange phenomenon has been recorded among the many versions of Harry Graham. Harry can always sense whether there is a version of Michael in the current reality he is in and upon finding him we'll know whether or not it is truly his version of Michael. Other versions of Oxenfree have actually found their version of Michael and continue their search for other versions on behalf of the other versions of their organization. They also continue their search for others who have been lost.
There is a distinctive downside. It isn't known why this sixth sense exists in each version of Harry Graham. What is known is that there are a limited number of Harry Grahams and Michaels. If there are an infinite number the search would be significantly easier. Why there is such a limit makes little to no sense. If there are infinite numbers of realities than there should be an infinite number of them that have Harry Graham.
Sadly this is not the case and in the three years that Michael has disappeared, a number that is universal across all realities, hope for finding each and every missing Michael shrinks with each passing day. Some versions of Harry Graham have found their version dead or worse and as time goes on the frequency of these cases increases

Refugees

During their Quest, Oxenfree helps and saves those that they can in the various worlds they travel to. Many refugees are taken in by the organization, often encountered of Lost Worlds, realities in which human civilization has collapsed or is non existent. These refugees are often more than willing to assist the organization, which led to the rise of Glitch Seekers.

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by Yongs

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... He smiled at me. I'd be a fool to accept such friendly behavior from anyone, but something about his way of speaking calmed all three of us.
"Very well, welcome." he said, then screamed out. "Oxenfree."
we saw others emerge from the dark, the green lenses on their eyewear reflected in what little light the moon offered. We were blended by a sudden flash of white light. Spot lights beamed down on the woods around us. The source was what looked like a floating building. a massive mobile bunker with the words "Pillow Fort" written haphazardly on its side with orange and white paint. Thin beams of multicolored light towered into the sky. The beams moved in synchronized speed, crossing and lining each other in complex geometric patterns. It rested on the same pattern that embellished the man's patch.
The symbol turned clockwise, stopped suddenly, and the sky split open with a thunderous burst of sound that settled into a low drone. The sky parted and the lights expanded outward, causing the line of light to stretch into a square. I could see something on the other side of the portal, an alien sky with no stars. We were rushed into the fortress and felt it jolt as it rose and entered the portal. When it completed its ascent, we were here, in this strange place they call home.

— The Debriefing of John Doe

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Oxenfree and The Web

Oxenfree is one of the very few organizations in The Web that operates independently. Most organizations have never encountered Oxenfree and some of them, mostly The Troubleshooters, don't even know Oxenfree exists.
The Magicians of Carthage and The Alexandrian University have worked fairly close with Oxenfree, however, using their knowledge of cosmology to learn more of how reality works.
The fact that they operate outside of this reality and even place their base of operations in a pocket dimension outside of our reality makes them irrelevant to most organizations. They are also indifferent to most of the goings on in our world, setting their sights far beyond it in search of Michael Graham.

Helheim 12-1

The Helheim Incident marks the first time Oxenfree got involved with an operation on their home turf. While they were late to the party, Oxenfree proved invaluable in hunting the extra dimensional entities that attacked Heimdal

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by Alex Jessup

Tools of the Trade

As time went on, the members of Oxenfree have employed the use of many tools. The organization has a reputation for stealing technology from other realities that they deem useful, and sometimes stealing the technology from our own. Some include weapons and vehicles, others include simple gadgets that allow a seeker to perform their tasks easier.

Nerf Guns

Every firearm used by Oxenfree is called a nerf gun. They don't care about its true name nor do they intend on keeping it once they find better. They often spray paint the word "nerf" onto the gun to further illustrate their lack of attachment and how easy it is to abandon when it outlives its usefulness.

Pillow Forts

A clear sign of Oxenfree's presence is the Pillow Fort. This is a massive weapon installation that hovers in the air. The fort is armed to the teeth, with many turrets lining its frame. It is 60 meters long and 20 meters wide. It stands at 30 meters tall will several engines placed about its body. There are no windows or doors, but there is a ramp that lowers at the front of the fort. It is the only way in or out and is heavily fortified.
Forts are used on any mission to another reality, and even on some that take place in our own. This is because it is often the only way back to The Requirementiem.

Foureyes

This piece of stolen technology takes the form of goggles with four lenses, similar to military grade NVGs. They can do much more than enhance the wearers eyesight. They have night vision and thermal vision as well but they also have the ability to scan the environment for hazards, link to other eyewear in the surrounding area, panoramic settings, arcane scanners, and much more.

Leap frogs

The Leap Frog is another piece of stolen technology. Leap Frogs are drones capable of deploying cover, storing resources, crafting ammunition, flight for survey and reconnaissance, scanning and testing various samples such as whether food is safe to eat, and also serve as a combatant if they are outfitted with weapons. The drone is often piloted by a Marco and a squad is only allowed one drone. They take the form of a quadroped unless in flight or water mode.

Marco-Polo

Every squad is labeled as Polo and the iteration of the squad. (Polo 1). Every squad has a handler, Marco. Marco is the name used for every handler and these men and women are assigned to a single squad, often as a pilot for a Leap Frog. They usually reside in the Pillow Fort for easier communication. They have complete control of the installation and can deploy whatever dwells within at their leisure. There is usually more than one squad per fort and a single fort can be manned by up to 10 macros.