The shadows crept around the circular outline of the brick walls and the air was moving but quiet. You wouldn't think it, but it was the middle of the day – and in the sewers, life was at its stillest.

Donatello was the last awake, as usual, his brain was just too active – even though his body desperately needed some rest. He had been considering turning off his laptop for a while now, but he hesitated for a moment.. Then opened up a simple notepad program. The fluid tapping of shallow keys started to echo around softly from his uniquely formed fingertips.

If anyone reads this, they'll just think it's some crazy sci-fi fantasy online novel. But that's fine with me. The best writing is always inspired by real life. I think of this as Science-Non-Fiction. Haha, I just made myself chuckle. That's sad^^;

He paused.. thinking where to go next.

I'm writing this from my bedroom which is under the ground of the world you probably know. This is where I spend 90% of my time. Just me, my three brothers and my dad. That might sound like a weird and lonely existence, but we've adapted pretty well as any intelligent life has a tendency to do. You discover the things you love as well as the things that truly matter when you have less. Thanks to the age we live in, I actually feel like I have a pretty fulfilling existence, as unlikely as that may seem. I have friends, co-workers, rivals - all whose faces I've never seen and real names I probably don't know that I interact with daily. An online persona that runs parallel to real life..

I never expected or wanted these two worlds to cross over, but that's exactly what has happened.

I should probably fill you in just enough so you understand the context. Okay, so, I'm not actually human. I can write, I can talk – I can actually do a lot of things that humans can't do. I'm a turtle that was radioactively mutated when I was very young and trained in the art of ninjutsu by my mutated rat father. What a premise huh? Obviously, humans as a collective would never understand or empathize with us and it's just not worth the risk to try so we live in the sewers (of New York to be precise). But our lives are far from simple or boring – by living in the shadows, we are able to see the dangers beneath the surface. The enemies of the city are ours too and though we get no thanks, praise or recognition for our actions, we take on the bad guys whatever the risk. And we're so good at it that for the most part, the general public doesn't even know what's going on.

You might think that would be our sole purpose in life – but actually it isn't. No one can live like that. We may not be human but we are pretty human-like. My brothers and I, we have passions, interests, pet-hates, guilty-pleasures just like you. We obviously love martial arts and get a buzz out of training as well as in real combat. If you've ever been into a sport you might know what I'm talking about but it's not hard to believe if you look at any competitive sport scene. Competitors give their body and minds to anything from soccer to crossfit. We're no different, and it helps that we're super talented.

But in a way, ninjutsu training for me is a lot like what school or college would be for you. You have to do it, and do resent it a little bit and hate the early mornings and pushing through the fatigue of daily working at something.

So anyway, that's one side of me – the physical side. The other is my mental abilities. I'm smart – like, ridiculous smart. Einstein smart. I don't know if this is a result of the mutation, but none of my brothers ended up this way, though they each have their own enhanced talents so maybe that's just the way it goes.

For crime-fighting I use my brain for engineering. I build useful tools and weapons to help defeat our enemies but at home, it is my world. My computers are a portal to a whole new universe. One where I'm not a mutated ninja turtle but someone that has ideas, solves problems and gets real rewards. Everything from game roleplaying with friends, discussions with fellow scientists to getting paid for technical designs and code.

Obviously, I know my brothers must struggle day to day like me and I help them where I can. Leonardo is my oldest brother. He's a perfectionist and loves all things traditional. Every swing of the sword, every kick and every punch, even his meditating must be perfect. But when he's not training he loves all things Japanese. With a computer he can learn Japanese, explore Japan, improve and receive praise for his calligraphy. He loves anime, J-Pop, J-Dorama – all that stuff so I helped him make that a part of his life with technology.

Then there's Michelangelo, my younger and youngest brother. He's more your typical teenager. He loves Video games and TV, especially anything superhero-related. Online he has mastered, and even gets paid for playing video games. Anything from adventure to mmorpg – he has dominated them all.

The only brother I haven't quite figured out – is the second oldest, Raphael. He probably understands me less than I do him – but we're brothers and that's all that matters really. Sometimes I wish I could give him a world of his own like we other three have – but he just doesn't seem to ever switch off and he doesn't really seem to trust technology. But with the money I make, I am at least able to give him a comfortable life and buy him any equipment he needs. But he rarely spends time in the sewers with us – choosing to get above ground whenever he can...

As Donatello paused to think of what to say next about his hot headed brother, the door to his bedroom / lab / office opened and there he was standing in the doorway.

"Raph?..." Asked Don, a little startled as he hurriedly closed the screen of his laptop.

"I had a feeling you'd still be up," Raph replied grimly. "Grab your stuff, there's something happening in Washington Square Park. I'll wake Leo and Mikey.."

TO BE CONTINUED