It was the year 2709. Earth, an urbanized planet of metal and madness, had fallen into devastating pandemonium. Precious resources such as oil, coal, and wood had been used up and dried out; leaving the planet a barren, desolate jungle of iron and rust. Without energy to power things the inhabitants had returned to old fashioned processes. There electricity, still, illuminating the cities in a cacophony of brilliant, garish lights, but there was little else. Of course, everything had turned to electricity now. Vehicles had become battery powered; factories ran entirely on generators that hummed violently with the sheer immensity of their power. There were no more gears, no more cogs, no more levers and pulleys. Just wires. Wires and metal.
And it was cold.
Global warming had come and gone, replaced by a second ice age that, too, had passed. It left the planet stripped of most fauna and flora. The few organisms left alive evolved and adapted, but the humans didn't. Why should they? They had their technology. Evolution would not occur for them. Snow still engulfed the planet, turning lakes to ice and oceans to freezing, desolate masses.
The world needed wood, coal, oil. It needed to burn.
The answer was found on the eve of '09. A small, simple device, with extraordinary powers. The power to travel between dimensions. It was tucked away, hidden somewhere safely where no one would ever find it, or use it. It's guardian kept it dormant, unspoken of and unheard of...until now.
It was discovered near the end of the ninth year by a priest, completely by accident, but the even could not be undone. The device needed to be used. Something had to burn, and with the device, fuel could be collected. The device was no longer safe. It had to be found.