The dark, dank streets of Manhattan were generally seen as a minute detail in the lives of the city's one million, six hundred thousand residents. The "City That Never Sleeps" had no knowledge of the vast world that opened up beneath the sewer grates. A world that was infinitely more complex than anything they know now.
Below the ground lived four teenage boys, brothers, along with their father and sensei. For more than fifteen years, this family hid away, their entire lives depending on their ability to blend into the shadows and hide away from the world above. The reason? These four brothers and their father were mutants. Four turtles and a human mutated alongside each other, the human turning into a rat.
In their sewer home, the eldest brother Leonardo with the blue band, was sitting in front of the television screen, his eyes glued to the program dancing across it: Space Heroes. He was completely enthralled in his favorite television show.
The second eldest brother, Raphael with the red band was parked on the couch behind him, his eyes looking over the pages of a comic book at the show that his brother was completely invested in.
"I still have no idea why you enjoy this stupid show, Leo," he teased, his eyes rolling and then quickly focusing back on the pages of his comic.
Leo could only shush him, not wanting to miss a moment of the episode that he'd surely seen at least five times.
Across their living room lair, the second youngest and third eldest brother, Donatello with the purple band sat at a long table, his laptop sitting next to a pile of parts that was brainstorming over.
"Let him have his fun, Raph," he called, tongue sticking between his teeth as he focused. "We all have our own 'escape', and Space Heroes is Leo's."
"Yeah, but why does he have to be so dorky about it, Donnie?" Raph asked, a small chuckle rising out of him. "You've heard him quote lines from it while we're training."
"It's called liking something, Raph. Maybe you should try it instead of being so grumpy all of the time," Donnie retorted, trying his best to sass Raph into quieting.
A resounding crash sounded through the lair as the youngest brother, Michelangelo with the orange band spilled off of his skateboard and into the furniture, drawing a long groan from Leo. He had all of the episodes on DVD, but liked watching them on television more.
"Guys, guys!" Mikey called, his voice slightly muffled from being face down on the floor. "I snagged this new videogame that I want to play with you all! It just came out today and April brought it to the lair for me!"
Almost on cue, the red-headed girl hopped over the turnstiles that led into their sewer home. "Mikey, you need to learn how to slow down," she joked, a small grin playing across her face. "I swear, running with ninjas is crazy."
The orange banded terrapin offered an apologetic smile at her, "Sorry, April. I'm just really excited to play this game! It was announced two years ago, and I've been dying of boredom while waiting. Game of the Year 2013, no doubt!"
Donnie stood, heading over to where his younger brother stood and grabbing the game case from him. The brightly decorated cover read "Regrowth", and the dark developer logo in the corner reading "Gecko's Net" sticking out like a sore thumb.
A small hole formed in Donnie's stomach as he read the name, a voice in the back of his head recognizing it.
"So what are you guys waiting for?!" Mikey exclaimed. "Let's play!"