Battery Life

a.l.l..i.s..f.a.i.r..g.a.m.e..t.o..t.h.e..d.e.s.p.e.r.a.t.e
In the late years of human's civilization, resources have grown scarce. And with an ever-growing population to provide for, the likelihood of a planet-wide blackout becomes greater with each passing day. All countries of the world set their scientists and astronomers on finding something - anything - that could satisfy the need for energy.
They find something. A place. A gap in galaxies soaked with energy that could provide for the human race for all eternity; a gift from the heavens, in the heavens, that seems perfectly ripe for the taking. Thus, as humanity tends to do, they find a way to harness this power and use it as soon as possible - completely ignoring any rebound that could occur.
In the lower class, nothing has changed. At least not for a trio of scrap-selling youths. One a deaf, one a Brit, and one a child, they keep a stubborn grip on life despite earning nothing from it save for misfortune. They're dimly aware of the current stand on the Earth's power, but don't particularly care how it ends or if it can do anything for them; that is, until they discover a piece of evidence that will turn the energy crisis back on its head again.
Namely, a being from the haven that mankind's been draining.
What follows is a journey through worlds, physical and social alike, as the scavengers are tossed into a mission that could end either incredibly well or ridiculously, irreversibly bad. With little more than their street skills, a spot in the social circle of an energy-researching lab, two dead-language speakers, and a self-aware voice embedded in a device from the 21st century, they'll need to reason with the ones who plugged into the other realm in the first place before both the Earth and realm of energy collide; before kingdoms meet and wage war.
Secrets and lost pasts turn up. Friends and enemies abound. The better of humanity is at stake. Let's hope the battery doesn't run out.