Here we are... the final level.

Chapter 6: Scrap Brain Zone

"Slippery metal floors, razor-sharp saws and grinding wheels - now you're one step away from Dr. Robotnik's hideout."

Sonic the Hedgehog instruction manual.

Fun Fact: This zone was originally going to be called "Clock Work zone"

"...wow"

That was all the hedgehog could say. He had never seen an area this polluted in his life. This had once been a massive desert, and one of Sonic's favorite running spots I guess I should be glad he didn't destroy the city to build this place, but I really liked running around here.

The speedster set off through the outer fortress, jumping over some trapdoors of death and into a jet of fire shooting out a broken gas tank. Man, for a fortress designed by a genius, it sure breaks easily the 'hog thought as he hit a button. He then jumped into a spinning capsule, and was spat out into a large room. Leaping up onto several platforms that spun around every couple of seconds, Sonic found a shield on the left, and proceeded to the right. Hitting some caterpillar bots, he jumped on some disappearing platforms (ringbok in this pit) and passed some bombs, one of which he lost his shield to. Leaping across a wide chasm, Sonic found another platform, and several moving spinning platforms over an even bigger chasm. I gotta say, this guy knows how to make a drawbridge.

Concentrating harder than he had in a while, The hedgie made it across. And lost his rings to another fire jet. Hitting another button and jumping into another capsule, the spiky speed demon shot up some platforms and blasted through a tube, before finding some platforms that extended and retracted, causing him to have to move in weird ways to not get crushed. Going under some electricity traps, Sonic emerged from a door, jumped up on a ledge, and got hit one last time by a bomb thrown by some pig bots guarding yet another signpost and the main entrance of the factory.

Inside the building, Sonic found some crazy spinning platforms that could launch him around the room. He pressed a couple of buttons which opened two paths for him. He took the lower one, dodging fire, caterpillar bots, and fire jets and went down a tube (This actually loops you to the top of the map while you're in it). Popping a ringbox, the hero traversed some spinning platforms suspended over a bed of electricity. Running through a door, Sonic found a very troubling obstacle. It consisted of a conveyor belt, spinning in the wrong direction, with a saw descending from the ceiling every now and then, ready to slice some spines. Barely making it past unscathed think I lost a few quills the speedster shot down a tube, two more combo traps, past electric trapdoors and fire gates, into another tube, which rocketed him past one exit onto a higher one (little did he know that he only passed this exit because he had 50 rings. Good luck trying this, there are only 53 on the way, and thousands more ways to lose them. Well, it'll feel like that, at least).

Running over crumbling floors and treadmills under an electric ceiling, the 'hog took another tube up (looping to the bottom of the map) lost his rings to some bombs, destroyed some caterpillars, sped past some swinging spikes, past the signpost and found a laser wall.

Behind this was, surprise, surprise, Robotnik.

"Didn't think you'd make it this far. It'll hardly matter soon. Do you why that is?" the doctor was now grinning maliciously. Not waiting for an answer, he continued "I came to this island to find a mystical power source known as the chaos emerald. Local myth told me there were six that hid in alternate dimensions. I have pinpointed the locations of these across the island, and now have the technology capable of penetrating them. If you're wondering why you won't be able to stop me, that's because you're in a trap room. Notice how I closed that wall behind you. You'll be stuck in the darkest depths of this place while I take over the world." Robotnik laughed. But so did Sonic.

"Are these your "Chaos Emeralds?" grinned the hero, pulling out the six gems he had found in the secret zones.

"What! How could you possibly have gotten them!" shrieked the flabbergasted human.

"Why should I tell you?" retorted Sonic.

"It doesn't matter. Hand them over, and I will spare you from the doom I had prepared to give you.

"I've been through worse" smirked the overconfident hedgehog.

"Alright, don't say I didn't try to give you a chance" said the doctor, before collapsing the floor from underneath the hedgehog. He fell, with the mad scientist's final laugh echoing in his ears, along with his parting words.

"I'll just get the emeralds after the fish have picked your bones clean."

Sonic knew there was only one place that could happen. Then he hit the ground and blacked out.

He woke up surrounded by some familiar looking ruins, although he couldn't quite figure out where he'd seen them before (His memory isn't the greatest, and he had blocked most of that other experience out of his head. How'd he do it so fast? He is fast. Duh).

Pressing a button, some rubble started to lower out of the way (If you get down this shaft before the platform does, you'll find one of the more well-known shortcuts in the game). Hitting some penguin bots, Sonic fell down a shaft into some water.

Panic ensued, the hedgehog scrambled out of the water, the memories of the earlier ruins filling him with abject terror.

"Take the emeralds! Take over the world! I don't care just get me out of here!"

Nobody heard him though, so he went down with a terrible feeling of resignation (There's another shortcut here like the one in Labyrinth act 3).

Moving some floor aside, the hydrophobic hedgie fell into a massive chamber, lost his rings to a robot fish, and found some air. Scrambling past some spikes, he moved some rubble that was over top of him, and opened a door. Making his way past more swinging spikes that hit him several times, he got some more air, and shot down a corridor, propelled by the current. Jumping off a ledge, the floor started to rise underneath him, pushing him towards some spikes.

Letting out a gasp, the speedster jumped off, and realized he was about to drown. He leapt up a vertical corridor, getting hit with fire and breathing in water until he came to the surface, coughing water out of his lungs. He collapsed, and lay there for a while, wondering what would happen if he never moved again. Eventually, he moved on, a numb feeling spreading through him. He barely even felt the spikes hit him, hardly registered the action of opening a door. He went up a neverending corridor of drill bots and spikes, until he found some springs. He hit one, and was catapulted up into…

Y'all already know. Since the final boss is in its own zone, That'll be the last chapter. Then I'll start up a different story. More info on that next week. Ta-ta.