Author's Note: Wow, it's been a while since I wrote a Ninja Turtles story, hasn't it? Well, I wanted to give something a try. I've made an AU that combines elements from the other incarnations and wanted to write about it. This AU is called Mutagen Chains, and this chapter is just an introductory to some of the primary characters. Other key characters you'll see in the next few chapters. There are a few OCs and some pairings but the pairings won't come until later on. Enough of my babbling, so enjoy!

Chapter 1: Manhattan, the City of Beginnings

We interrupt this program to bring you this special news alert. It seems as though an unknown group of vigilantes have decided to deal with the growing gang threat in Manhattan themselves. Amid the increasing complaints about gang activities and lack of police action, members of the notorious street gang the Purple Dragons have been found beaten and tied up in an alleyway. The gang members were taken into police custody, but not before proclaiming being attacked by 'green men'. Who are these mystery fighters? Are they the new city heroes? Or are they a bigger threat than the local gangs? More info to come on this story! For Channel 6 News, this is Irma Langinstein, signing off!

The news report echoed off the HD televisions on display in the electronic store window, drawing attention from a few but others simply passing by as they were totally oblivious. A pair of green eyes, however, locked onto the screen and listened intently to the report. It wasn't the notion of 'green men' that interested the individual, but rather the notion that someone was finally standing up to the gangs, especially the Purple Dragons. Whoever had the guts to do that was either very brave or very reckless. The person the eyes belonged to, a redheaded woman, gripped the strap on her purse tighter until the news broadcast ended.

April O'Neil wasn't exactly the type of person to be interested in the news, especially when it concerned vigilantes. Most of the time, her mind was set on what her job of the day would be over at Stockgen, whether it be testing out odd robots or injecting poor animals with drugs to see how it would benefit humans. She didn't know what to make of Baxter Stockman or his questionable methodologies concerning technology and biotechnology, but she knew she needed the paycheck. While vigilantes were the last thing on her mind, something about this group of them struck her curiosity. She stared so intently at the TV screens she didn't even notice a police car pulling up to the nearby station and coming to a stop.

Two officers stepped out of the car and opened up the back door, pulling out a man in his mid-to-late twenties after some struggle. The cuffed man blew some of his wild black hair out of his face and glared at the police officers as though they conspired to do this to him. He growled, exposing his teeth and some of those he lost he lost from his days as a high school hockey player.

"Do we really have to go through this again, Jones?" The first officer asked in an annoyed tone. "How many times have we told you to stop takin' the law in your own hands?"

Casey Jones spat and stared at the policemen with even more contempt. "I would if ya chumps would just do ya job! What, do th' Dragons have you guys in their pockets or somethin'!?"

"Ah, shut up Jones!" The second officer snorted, smacking him on the back with a little too much force. "We actually deal wit' the Dragons! They just don't show up much is all!"

April overheard this and had a hard time believing that statement. The Purple Dragons were out all the time, and the police often chose not to deal with them. Along with the Dragons, she heard people often complain of people dressed in red and black stalking the streets like ghosts. Some people claimed they were in fact phantoms…others said they were assassins. Whatever they were, they still made people afraid to walk the streets at night. With her job, she couldn't afford not to go out at night. A buzz reverberated through her purse and she pulled it out to see what caused it; more than likely it was a text.

Fifteen minutes or you'll have your pay docked.

"Typical of you, Mr. Stockman…" April muttered in a low voice. She placed her smartphone back into the purse and went about her way to Stockgen. She didn't want to end up like that guy who accused Stockman of animal cruelty over seventeen years ago…whatever happened to that guy? She only knew of the rumors of him, and learning that Stockman would punish employees for the littlest things. He could actually be more brutal than a Purple Dragon. Well, unless she wanted to run into one or a green man, she had to hurry, so she began to sprint down the street to get to the lab.

Apartment for Rent. Payment to be discussed. Please speak to Akane Murasama, landlord, if interested.

That's what the newspaper clip read as a pair of teal eyes scanned the bold letters. New York was a long way from home, but she couldn't help where new job opportunities led her, especially when you worked in the medical field. So now the brunette found herself in a taxi cab with a few suitcases riding to a studio apartment building. Her mother practically begged her not to go, as New York was supposedly dangerous, but she was a big girl and could take care of herself. The vehicle suddenly came to a stop and the young woman handed the cabbie the amount of cash needed before stepping out.

This was a new start for Cheyloe Doggett, or Chey as her friends knew her. A new start from the past, a chance to be on her own and be fully independent. She stared from the newspaper clipping to the apartment building, a sigh escaping her lips as she picked up her suitcases and walked inside. The sun was setting, and she hoped the landlord wasn't out early. She managed to get into the door despite the many suitcases, stopping for a moment to see a redheaded girl dashing down the street as if she were running for her life.

"Hello?" Cheyloe called out, getting inside and peering into the front office. "Um, I'm looking for a Ms. Murasama. I'm the new tenant; we talked the other day."

"That would be me."

Cheyloe turned around and saw a woman approach her. She appeared to be of Japanese descent but had short red hair and wore a beautiful dress; she believed it was a yukata. She had her arms crossed as she approached, but she seemed to have a warm smile. "I am Akane Murasama. You must be Cheyloe Doggett. I welcome you."

"Thank you, ma'am." The brunette replied warmly, though exhaustion due to travel hinted in her tone. "Sorry for sounding tired. I've traveled through at least five or six states to get here. So, where am I to stay?"

Akane chuckled and led her to an elevator, pressing the up button and encouraging her to get on. "You'll be on the fourth floor. These are all studio apartments, and if you have any furniture with you, I'll put it in place of the furniture currently in your apartment."

Cheyloe shook her head. "Oh no, ma'am. All I have are some clothes and a few personal belongings. Any furniture in there is fine."

The elevator came to a stop and the landlord smiled. "Fair enough. We'll discuss payment once we get inside. I do hope that you'll like it."

Chey figured she would like it regardless, and she followed Akane without a word to the apartment that was intended to be hers for as long as she chose or could afford to stay. The landlord stuck the key into the lock, gave it a few quick turns, and opened the door. The brunette examined the apartment and felt her eyes light up. It looked beautiful, not too big yet not too small, and it had a pleasant smell. She sat down her suitcases to take a better look at the place, taking in the scents of flowering plants in the space.

"This place…this place is great!" The brunette wore a huge grin and the tone of her voice was clearly bounding with energy. "I think I'm going to love it here!"

Akane nodded and smiled back at her, the younger woman's optimism apparently contagious. "Your payment is four-hundred and fifty a month plus utilities. If it's too high, I'll lower it."

Chey thought about the money she recently received from a close friend, an amount that would be enough to cover a year's worth of rent. Of course, she still intended to work over at the memorial hospital, though the extra cash would help greatly. "Oh, no, it's fine. With my income, it should leave enough for groceries."

"Sounds good." The landlord decided. "Please…let me know if you need anything at all, Ms. Doggett."

"In other news, Stockgen founder and head scientist Baxter Stockman has a proposal to deal with the rising rat problem in Manhattan. The proposal involves a robotic solution known as the MOUSER project for the cleanup, but local animal activist groups blast Stockman, claiming the proposal to be 'inhumane'."

The light from the outdated flat screen flickered onto the faces of the two viewers, the bright white hue mixing with the green darkened by the lack of illumination anywhere else in the room. Of course, living underground didn't provide much natural light at all, and while the smell, which could best be described as garbage mixed with portable toilet waste, was something displeasing to normal noses, they had to live in it for over seventeen years; you could say they went 'nose-blind' to it. The two viewers paid attention to the newscast until one, sporting a red headband, groaned and shot up from his seat.

"This is a waste. Who cares 'bout some stupid robot project, anyway?" He asked, not expecting anyone to answer.

"Raph, have a little more appreciation for robotics." The other viewer sporting purple reprimanded, staring at him with irritation before going back to the television. "I mean, one of these days, robots will be replacements for training dummies and give YOU a better workout."

Raphael snorted and breathed out of his nose, fogging up the metal nose ring he had. "A robot wouldn't be good enough ta give me a workout, Donnie. Besides, other than heating up food or lettin' us watch TV, what're they good for?"

Donatello cocked an eye ridge. "Seriously? Robots actually operate on people to keep them from dying, and they build those motorcycles you like so much." He placed his chin in his hands and stared back at the news report. "But something's bothering me about this. We haven't seen a lot of rats down here, not enough to cause problems topside. So why would they even need them?"

Raphael and Donatello were two out of four brothers, who would live average lives if they could if it weren't for one problem. That problem was, simply, that they were mutants. Mutant turtles to be exact. They knew they started out as ordinary pet turtles over seventeen years ago until they were doused by a mysterious green goo and became what they are now. The broken canister that the goo came in stood as sort of a trophy mounted on the wall of their home…which was of course in the sewers of Manhattan. Raphael was the second-youngest of the bunch while Donatello was the second-oldest. They didn't live by themselves, of course. They had their father, whom they affectionately called Splinter. However, Splinter seemed to be keeping a closer eye on them lately, and it was because they were coming of age to the point they wouldn't be kids anymore.

A loud POP suddenly echoed behind them, and the two turtles almost jumped mid-air to get away from the noise. It wasn't but just seconds later that an audible snicker followed, causing Raph and Donnie to glare behind the old sofa at the source. A turtle sporting orange glanced up at them innocently with blue eyes.

"Mikey!" Raphael snarled. "Didn't I tell ya not ta get in my firecracker stash!?"

Michelangelo, the youngest out of the four turtles, shrugged as though he did nothing wrong. "I can't remember when you told me. Did you tell Master Splinter that you have a firecracker stash?"

The red-banded turtle immediately roared and went to chase after the orange-banded turtle. "Just don't eveh get in it again or I'm gonna knock yer block off BIG TIME!"

"Not my fault you suck at finding hiding places for your stuff!" Mikey retorted, his tongue poking through the cleft in his upper lip. "You should find a better spot for those magazines with those hot chicks you hide from Splinter!"

"You found those too!?" Raph roared, ready to wrap his hands around his baby brother's neck in retaliation.

"Would you two knock it off!?" A stern voice boomed. "Your seventeen years old and you're both acting like a pair of bratty toddlers!"

That's when the two young brothers stopped when in walked none-other than Leonardo, the eldest of the turtles sporting a blue headband. Since he was the eldest of the brothers, he was made the leader of them, though he would never speak against his father's authority. However, despite being the eldest, many would not assume that automatically if they compared the heights of the brothers. Donatello was the tallest, followed by Raphael, then Leonardo, and Michelangelo, but Leo and Mikey were almost the same height.

"Tch." Raphael grunted before stepping away from Michelangelo, shooting a heated glare at his elder brother. "What would you know about bratty toddlers, Pigeon Toes?"

"Raph, would you please stop calling me that?" Leo griped, rolling his deep blue eyes. "That was long ago; I don't do that anymore, just like you apparently don't hold your breath when you don't get your way, or am I wrong?"

"You tryin' ta imply somethin', Fearless Leader?" Raphael asked the blue-banded turtle, danger clearly in his tone. "Are ya? Cuz if ya wanna start somethin' ya can't finish, I'd be more than happy ta-"

"HEY GUYS!" Mikey suddenly cut in, his finger jabbing wildly at the TV. "Check out that girl next to the science dude!"

The turtles all stared at the television, which still aired the news report; it must have been more of a news conference than a simple report. They took notice of the young redheaded woman next to Baxter Stockman, the one who seemed to be nervous standing in the background seemingly tinkering with one of the robots intended for use. They seemed to stare in complete awe, though Raphael quickly walked away.

"Aw, where ya goin' Raphie?" Michelangelo asked with a pout on his face. "Don't you wanna watch more of the chick?"

Raph turned back to his siblings and gritted his teeth. "She's a human, Mikey. What good have humans done for us? Nothin'…they could care less about freaks like us, and they'll NEVER care."

As Raphael went back to his room, Michelangelo stared forlornly at his other brothers, sitting down on the sofa and wrapping his arms around his knees. "Leo...how come Raph has ta act like that, huh? What did humans ever do ta him?"

Leonardo sighed and sat down next to his brother, patting his shell to give him some sort of comfort. "...That's just how Raph is, unfortunately. Maybe one day, just one day...we'll get to walk around topside without having to worry about people screaming at us or trying to hurt us. But for now...let's just focus on getting along and living comfortably down here."