Ignition Point

## Chapter 2: Ignition Point Dr. Eliza Tessler surveyed the Forge the Future Expo with a manic gleam in her eye, watching her fellow Spark Savants unleash one technological marvel after another. At the heart of the pavilion, the Voltage Prism glowed with an unearthly aura, its gyroscopic hum a siren song of innovation. Nicholas Jennings stood at the Prism's control panel, his Electron Crucible bag tag swaying as he made delicate adjustments. The disc's flight grew increasingly erratic, corkscrewing through the air in defiance of physics. "The power draw is spiking again," Nicholas muttered, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep it stable." Dr. Tessler waved off his concerns with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "Push it further, Nicholas. We're on the cusp of a revolution here. Imagine the possibilities if we can break the chains of conventional aerodynamics!" Across the fairway, Sage Oakwood watched the spectacle with a scowl, his weathered hands clenched around a lovingly worn disc. "This is madness," he growled. "They're so blinded by their own brilliance, they can't see the danger right in front of them." As if on cue, the Voltage Prism shuddered in mid-air, its otherworldly glow flickering ominously. Nicholas frantically adjusted the controls, but the disc seemed to have a mind of its own. With a sickening lurch, it phased straight through a nearby oak tree, leaving a shimmering afterimage in its wake. Sage marched over to the Savants' pavilion, his face a thundercloud. "Enough is enough, Eliza," he bellowed. "This ends now, before you unleash something you can't control." Dr. Tessler spun to face him, her coat swirling dramatically. "Control? Control is for the weak, Sage. We're here to shatter the limits of what's possible. The future of disc golf won't be forged by following the rulebook." "The future of disc golf won't exist at all if you destroy its very foundation!" Sage shot back. "I challenge you to a public debate, right here, right now. Let's see if your rhetoric can match your recklessness." A hush fell over the expo grounds as the two titans of the sport squared off. On one side, the gleaming promise of unbridled progress. On the other, the steadfast bastion of tradition. With a nod, Dr. Tessler accepted the challenge. "The way I see it," she began, her voice amplified by unseen tech, "disc golf has always been a crucible of innovation. From the first crude Frisbees to the precision-engineered marvels we throw today, this sport has been defined by those daring to push beyond the status quo." Sage shook his head. "But there's a difference between evolution and extinction. Yes, we've come far through ingenuity, but always in harmony with the fundamental spirit of the game. What you're doing here threatens to twist disc golf into something unrecognizable. Something soulless." As the debate raged on, Riley Thurgood fingered the Voltage Prism uncertainly. The disc hummed with an unsettling vibration, almost a purr. It was like holding a living thing, something with desires of its own. The thrill of throwing it was undeniable, but a creeping dread lurked beneath the adrenaline. Nicholas studied his readouts with growing unease. The more he delved into the Prism's quantum fluctuations, the less sense it made. It was as if the disc was operating on an entirely different set of rules, ones that threatened the very integrity of the sport. "Dr. Tessler," he called out, "I really think we need to reconsider the Prism's design. There's a potentially catastrophic feedback loop in its core matrix. If we keep pushing it like this, the consequences could be-" "The only consequence that matters," Dr. Tessler interrupted, "is that we vault disc golf into a glorious future. This is no time for hesitation, Nicholas. This is a time for titans." With a showman's flair, she gestured to the far end of the expo, where a shimmering anomaly pulsed behind a curtain of shimmering energy. "Behold, the true fruits of our labors. The Singularity Engine, a disc so advanced it will reshape the very fabric of the game. With this marvel in hand, the Savants will be unstoppable." Sage stepped forward, his voice heavy with warning. "Eliza, please. There's still time to turn back from this precipice. Don't sacrifice the soul of the sport on the altar of your own ambition." Dr. Tessler laughed, a sound edged with mania. "You cling so desperately to the past, Sage. But the future is already here. And it will not be denied." With a theatrical gesture, she signaled to her acolytes. The energy curtain parted, revealing a disc that seemed to warp the very air around it. It lifted from its pedestal under its own power, hovering with an alien grace. Nicholas' instruments screamed with alarm, their readings spiking into uncharted territory. "Dr. Tessler, the core is destabilizing! We have to abort the demo!" But Dr. Tessler was beyond hearing, her eyes locked on her creation with feverish intensity. "Fly!" she commanded. "Fly and show the world the true power of innovation!" The Singularity Engine leapt forward, moving not through the air but through the fabric of spacetime itself. Reality rippled in its wake, the very ground beneath the expo twisting and buckling. Discs warped and changed in mid-flight, their molecular structure rewritten by the Engine's passage. Sage watched in mute horror as the world he knew unraveled before his eyes. "What have you done, Eliza?" he whispered. "What have you unleashed?" Dr. Tessler threw back her head and laughed, her voice echoing with unhinged glee. "Don't you see? This is just the beginning! The Singularity Engine will transform disc golf in ways we can't even imagine. The future is here, and it's more glorious than we ever dreamed!" But as the Engine completed its impossible flight, a sickening crack split the air. The disc shuddered and warped, its core pulsing with an angry crimson light. Bolts of crackling energy arced from its surface, seeking out the nearest conductors - the players themselves. One by one, the competitors fell to the ground, their bodies wreathed in eldritch lightning. They rose slowly, eyes glowing with unnatural power. Discs leapt to their hands unbidden, obeying the silent commands of their newly enhanced masters. In the broadcast booth, Dr. Tessler gripped the microphone with white knuckles, her voice shaking with a mix of excitement and primal terror. "Ladies and gentlemen," she stammered, "I believe we are witnessing the birth of a new era in disc golf. An era where the boundaries between man and disc are blurred, where the impossible becomes mundane. The future is upon us...may the Spirits of the Fairway have mercy on our souls." As the expo grounds erupted into a cacophony of confusion and terror, one thing was certain - disc golf would never be the same. The genie of innovation had been unleashed from its bottle, and there was no telling where its reality-warping power would lead. All that remained was to hang on for dear life, and pray that the sport itself could survive the coming storm.