The Red Rover

The sound of static echoed in their ears, followed by high-pitched feedback. They trudged along dunes of pale green sand, each armed to the teeth. They were so close. The fort was in view, its ramp lowered to welcome them home. Harry carried Michael over his shoulder, grunting as he carefully chose every step.
The seeker in front turned hastily, fired a few rounds at their pursuer, only to turn again and continue running. They each took the risk and danger in shifts, trading off routinely. The creature bit at their heels, its heavy steps beating the sand in a steady rhythm that reminded Harry of his own heartbeat.
Michael screamed, and Harry had to tighten his hold to keep the boy still. The wind picked up, blowing sand in a wave of particulate jade across the expanse they crossed. They heard the static again.
“Marco,” Harry said, addressing the man on the other end of the mic in his ear, “Is the sand causing interference?”
“That’s a no, polo 5. I was about to ask you if there was a lost mic.” Marco replied.
A gunshot rang out, sending a massive shell into the body of the beast behind them. The collision sent the fiend tumbling down the dune in a fit of rage, pain, and panic. The feedback faded, but never disappeared completely. It lingered behind a foreign voice on Oxenfree's secure channel. The words it spoke bubbled and spat as if spoken through the gaping maw of a viscous black sea. It was deep, dark, and Harry could almost hear the speaker smiling as the words faded in and out of the static.

“Red Rover -tsstk -over, send Michael on over.”

---

The Red Rover is a man, but also a title. The Rovers consist of every multiversal version of the same person. The Red Rover is infamous for being the only member of Oxenfree to go rogue. The man, Lorne Courtney, encountered The Entity, a multiversal being believed to be behind the disappearance of Michael Graham.

The encounter changed him, twisted his mind beyond repair, and he still seeks vengeance, no matter the cost. The Red Rover abandoned Oxenfree, believing that the real threat and solution to finding Michael lies in destroying The Entity. He refused to search for the missing boy, instead choosing to unite his many universal twins and take the fight to The Entity directly.

The Red Rovers are often treated like a ghost story by the members of Oxenfree. It is rare to encounter them, but in the event that a strange voice chimes in over the radio playfully chanting, it installs any seeker with fear. The Rovers are unpredictable and it's impossible to determine if they're on one's side until it's too late.

The Fall of Lorne Courtney

Lorne Courtney was one of the best. He excelled beyond the other seekers, and led Lavender during the operation that earned the team its name. During the following operation, Lavender would travel to a dark and stormy world. Most of the team were able to extract safely. Lorne found himself shared by something and whatever it was pulled him from his only way home.

He was left behind, and somehow found a way to survive. The desolate landscape he traveled offered enough in the way of strange creatures to eat and water to drink. The world was filled with hidden terrors, however. Impossible beasts stirred in the dark, and one happened to be The Entity.

The Entity took a keen interest in Lorne. The other monsters would stare at him as he passed, as if assessing whether he would be an easy kill. The Entity did as well, but then it decided to follow. It attacked him many times, each coupled with snarls and shrieks that sounded more like mad laughter.

What's in a name

The Red Rovers earned their name when they made their presence known to Oxenfree. During an extraction, The Rovers recited the phrase from the children's game. It is unclear what they wanted, though they did demand for Michael to be "sent on over."

Perhaps there was something special about that version of Michael, or at least, they believed there was. The probable theory is they wished to use Michael as bait for The Entity, or were speaking to The Entity directly and not even trying to communicate with Oxenfree.

Glittering Eyes

The attacks came more frequently, usually while Lorne slept. He could see its eyes within every shadow. He saw it waiting both ahead of him, and behind. He viewed it tucked away in every hole, submerged in every pool of water, and staring down at him from every starless night sky.

Lorne fought back, but every encounter left him feeling less like himself. He felt drained and heavy. It seemed like every step would take hours to take. Before he stopped counting, he spent three months alone and without hope.

Then one day they came for him. His closest friend appeared through a rift and reached out to him. Lorne took his hand, and the two escaped, but The Entity is not so easily thwarted. When they returned home, Lorne asked why it took so long. The others met him with shock and confusion.
"It was five minutes." Harry replied.

---

The Red Rover

Lorne suffered nightmares. He couldn't tell reality from fiction, and the entity begin to appear before him even during waking hours. Eventually he disappeared, leaving no Trace behind.

Within a few months he would appear again accompanied by multiversal twins. They used equipment usually reserved for Lavender: The Purple Team , each piece of equipment heavily modified from its original version. Instead of the deep and iridescent purple, each suit painted crimson.

Unlike the standard helmets worn by other members of Oxenfree, one cannot view through the blast shielding of the mask. The shielding is black with morbid and often uncomfortable faces painted on them.

Strange Gifts and Horrible Devices

The ability to travel from one Universe to another directly led to Oxenfree's success. By traveling to a reality just a few short years ahead of Their Own, they can take advantage of technology that is yet to be invented. They take this technology, reverse-engineer it, and reproduce it in their own reality. They then patent these inventions and use the monetary gain to further their agenda.

There are many things that Oxenfree encounters that they refuse to take. Some weapons are deemed too inhumane, some medical practices are deemed too risky, and some technology asks for too much to use it. Oxenfree has a strict policy as to what can be brought back and what must be left behind.

The Red Rovers are not bound by this policy nor do they feel the same way about the phenomena they encounter. Their weapons are designed to do the maximum amount of pain possible, the technology they use has turned them into something that isn't human anymore, and the various medical practices they indulge in led to mutations, unique abilities and various mental instabilities among each member. Each of the red Rovers maybe the same person, but each version is unique and come with their own skill sets and preferences in technology.

Encounters and engagement

Encountering The Red Rovers is rare. No one outside of Oxenfree and The University is even aware they exist. Even among these two organizations, it's a rare event, and it should be treated with caution. Seekers usually do everything they can to avoid them since The Rovers are likely not there to hinder The Seekers of Oxenfree.

Red Rovers do not simply appear without reason. They have an agenda, a goal that needs to be accomplished in order for them to further their ambitions. So long as one stays out of the way and does nothing to impede their progress, they will ignore any and all they come across. This is easier said than done as Seekers and Rovers tend to have goals that cross paths when they appear in the same reality.

The only problem The Rovers present to Oxenfree is with their Home Teams. When a Red Rover appears in a home reality, they will always be causing trouble. They're usually met with extreme hostility. Hopscotch and Spud, The Home Teams of Oxenfree, have a firm policy of killing Rovers on sight.

Agendas and ambitions

The Rovers engage in many operations, though the goal may not be apparent to outsiders. On occasion, these goals may not be from logic and reason. There are many in Oxenfree who believe The Rovers have no grasp on reality and their goals will do nothing to further their ambition, no matter how much The Rovers believe it will. There are those in Oxenfree who believe there might be a method to the madness, and that each of these seemingly nonsensical goals further a much larger plan that only they can perceive.

Sometimes it is something trivial. A Rover appears out of nowhere to steal a useless item from an unassuming home, and no one can figure out why. Another may appear as an assassin, killing a man in broad daylight even though this man has no quality that would make him a target. Their goals are senseless. For whatever reason, they believe doing what they do will bring them closer to killing The Entity and ending the search for Michael. On occasion, their goal makes sense, and even assist Oxenfree.

If a version of Michael is found, the corresponding version of Lorne Cortney may appear as well and help in his extraction. While the event is rare, Cortney can always sense if his version of Michael has been found. This occurs regardless of where they are and it takes them no time to figure out where their version of Michael is. Many occasions of the Rovers assisting the Seekers occur, usually when the Seekers and The Rovers end up wanting the same thing. Saving a lost child is the most common example.