The ground was smoldering around the edges of the burnt depression. Just moments ago there was several living breathing people there. Donovan slowly walked towards the epicenter, ash crunching under each steady step, looking around anxiously at charcoal colored rocks and burnt edges of branches.

In the center of what appeared to be a perfect circle of destruction was a small humming metal sphere. The baleful device was about as big as a baseball with small engravings on it and a tiny panel of blinking LED buttons. A blue light was pulsing at a rapidly slowing pace. He bent down to retrieve the apparatus with apprehension in his hand. What was this mechanism? Could it really vaporize all the matter within its blast radius?

He had little time to entertain such questions due to several avaricious men scaling an edifice nearby. The angry looks on their faces was enough to encourage his legs to start running.

Unfortunately this fortuitous little skirmish dragged them into the mountains and he had no way out.