Chapter 4
The entrance to the labyrinth was gigantic. Lined with brown-gold stones and pillars, it had statues of the dead culture's bird god carved throughout the exterior.
Sonic could only whistle in wonder. Unlike the Marble Zone, the labyrinth looked as though it was newly built. It was truly an architectural masterpiece.
As he approached the entrance, he heard the echo of drilling equipment coming from inside. Let me guess…Robotnik.
Sonic quickly ran inside, ready to further cripple the mad doctor's operation. It wasn't until he was inside that he realized that the labyrinth consisted of various flood chambers. And flood chambers meant water.
The hedgehog grew a little uneasy. Though he loved spending time at the beach (water skiing was one of his favorite pastimes), Sonic had no idea how to swim. It was always something that he had intended on learning, but he always had to put it off.
Lady Luck is a cruel woman, Sonic thought to himself as he started to wade through one of the many pools.
Going from the memory of watching others swim, Sonic started to dog paddle. Faster and faster he moved his arms, carrying himself through the water. This isn't so hard after all.
The surveillance cameras that were recently installed in the labyrinth revealed to Robotnik that the hedgehog was attempting to swim. Clearly he wasn't trained. The fat scientist couldn't help but giggle at the sight.
Maybe if I'm lucky I won't have to kill him. The water will do it for me. Ha!
A beeping sound went off at the doctor's console. Robotnik groaned. What now?
With a few keystrokes, Robotnik opened a window at his computer. His eyes widened with excitement upon seeing the message: SENSORS DETECT HIGH LEVELS OF CHAOS ENERGY IN VICINITY. INVESTIGATION IS RECOMMENED IMMEDIATELY.
Dr. Robotnik jumped out of his seat and to his personal hangar. This was a matter he would investigate himself. As he hopped into the cockpit of his private jet pod, he couldn't help but gloat. Not only was he going to obtain the Chaos Emeralds but also his enemy's death was almost a certainty.
"Whoa boy!" Sonic said as he flailed his arms, trying to keep afloat. But it was no use. He quickly sunk like a stone to the bottom of the pool. He frantically looked around for something to climb to the surface, but the labyrinth walls had smooth surfaces. More than likely it was designed as a way of killing intruders.
But that wasn't going to stop Sonic.
As he slowly moved through the water, it seemed that escape was a hopeless aspiration. There was no way out of this death trap unless you happened to have knowledge on how to swim.
His thoughts were interrupted when he caught a golden shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He moved toward the shining object, discovering that it was a ring. But better yet, as he looked around, he realized that there were rings all around him!
Sonic then had an idea. He quickly began gathering the rings, hooking them around his arms as he began to get a handful. This might be my last chance.
When he could no longer carry any more of the rings, he placed them in a circle on the labyrinth floor. He could feel his lungs start to burn as he paced about. Come on, come on, Sonic thought to himself impatiently. Please work!
The rings suddenly began to glow brightly. Their golden forms began to meld together; the stone floor at the center of the circle vanished. It was replaced by a black void.
Yes! Sonic rejoiced.
His hypothesis was correct. The amount of Chaos Energy generated by the rings was able to open a wormhole when they were placed near each other.
Now to get out of here and get those emeralds.
Sonic stepped down into the black void, the wormhole closing after him.
