It was a late evening. Everything seemed to be in order, meaning that there was no trouble looming about. They made sure of it; for it was their job to protect this city. And they always succeed in the end, which was fact.

They always stuck to the rooftops. There's not enough cover down on the streets, they could be discovered. And then the entire city would know of their existence, and that would be a very bad thing. Why must they hide, do you ask?

Well, the world is not accustomed to their kind. They are how others would say, "Freaks". Just on the fact that they are different. That they were never human. But they have human in them. But what humans would call freaks, they're own kind is known as… Mutants. How is this possible, you might ask?

There is a substance, not known to this dimension, called "Mutagen". And anyone who would touch it, a sort of infection would spread throughout their entire body. For some, the process is gradual. It would change them only a little every day and then when the process was over, they would be different. But for others, it is instantaneous. And those who dare touch the Mutagen… Only a choice few are known to keep their humanity. Many among the Mutants are known to lose their humanity.

But for them, there was no humanity to lose, but to gain humanity. They were gifted in so many ways… They started out as pets. Four baby turtles from the pet store, under the care of a normal human man. And then, everything changed. When a single canister of Mutagen was broken, the man that purchased those turtles was the first to be changed.

The infection spread instantaneously throughout his body. And as he was touched with it, a single brown rat had crossed by the alley. That was the entire DNA the Mutagen needed to recognize. But before he could change, the tank in which the turtles were was dropped into the puddle of Mutagen. And that was enough.

The man that had bought those turtles had given them his DNA. The DNA of a human. When they were once turtles, they were mere pets. But now… They were Mutants. And they took in their new form with ease.

And now, here they were. Warriors amongst the ranks of mere humans, who do not deserve the protection. They have earned no right to be safe from the threats that are out there, trying to destroy this world they call home.

But they have chosen to protect them. That is true courage. They stand by everyone, even those who do not deserve it.

But tonight was different than any other normal patrol for them. It was very, very unusual for them to see this happen.

The night was passing by very slowly, but they didn't mind. The more time they were out was less time spent in the sewers. They call it their home now. Or, their lair to be more specific.

Not that they didn't like their home. They loved it with all of their hearts, but it was very nice to get out and to see the real world. The world that their father has kept from them for 15 years is now part of their home.

The streets of New York City were quiet and still. Their leader, Leonardo, was always in the front. He carried on the back of his shell two katana swords and wore a blue mask over his eyes. Behind him was usually Raphael. He carried two Sais and wore a red mask. Behind him was Donatello. He carried a bo staff on the back of his shell and wore a purple mask. And lastly, Michelangelo. He carried twin nunchucks and had an orange mask. The order is why it is because that's usually how things get done.

Are we saying that Michelangelo isn't the best fighter? Of course not! He just tends to underestimate the situation. Leonardo is always on his guard and is to expect the unexpected. They each have an individual skill that contributes to the team.

For Leonardo, it's the skills of a leader. Not only can he communicate with everyone on the team easily, he knows just how to delegate responsibility and handle the heat they give off. He has confidence in his tactics and he commits to what he does until the end. And his honesty is painful, but he doesn't lie to any of his brothers. That would be wrong and he knows right from wrong when it comes to his brothers.

And here we come to Raphael. He might not be the best communicator, or the most honest of the team, and can't really commit, but he has what every team needs. You always need some smoke where there's fire. Raphael is tough and doesn't give in when it matters. His pain tolerance is very high and he knows how to win a fight. And he may fight with his brothers. Constantly… But they know that he cares. Even if he doesn't show it. Ever.

Donatello is the best at what he does. Using his brain to the full extent. His carefully thought out tactics and scenarios make for the best strategy. His brothers tease him for using words they don't understand. He tends to express his thoughts very elaborately and it confuses them. So he has to break it down for them. Not to say they aren't as smart as him. But they know that his intelligence is what makes a good team thrive.

And Michelangelo? He's very special. He might not be a leader, and might not be as strong as Raphael or as smart as Donatello, but he has what they need. Energy and enthusiasm. Meaning, if you don't like what you're doing, what's the point? He makes every situation fun and exciting for him and that gives them an advantage. Not to mention he has a sense of humor to ease the tension between the fighting and feuding.

They are the perfect team.

~Line Break~

The music from her headphones blasted at the highest volume without causing damage. She had a habit for ignoring everyone around her. There's a reason, though.

Her name is Piper DiMarco. Her mother's first name is Primrose and her grandmother's name is Peggy. It's a tradition in their family to name their daughter with a name that starts with P. Piper DiMarco it is.

After her father walked out on her mother, Piper was forced to get a job to support the both of them. Primrose DiMarco is on death row. So Piper has to watch over her constantly to make sure she's doing okay. Primrose has cancer that affects her lungs. Sometimes they'll stop working on their own for minutes at a time. She's been put on oxygen and can only breathe with assistance.

And now that she's on oxygen, she can't work. Primrose has been inside that apartment for years. Piper has taken care of her for a very long time. And in between school and work, she always finds time for her mother.

That must be why she doesn't talk to anyone else. Piper is always so exhausted that she slurs her words sometimes. It's been a long time since she got a good night's sleep. And she's always kind of grouchy.

Piper always has some place to be. Tonight, she was walking home from Antonio's, flour in her hair and on her face and a cut on her thumb. She had her dirty apron in her backpack and had her music blaring. Shinedown always seemed to make her feel better, no matter what.

But since she was so in depth of her music, she didn't hear the very loud bangs that were behind her. As far as Piper knew, it was just a normal night.

But before she knew what was even happening, something hit her in the back and knocked her over. It was like she was hit with a cinder block!

Piper fell to the concrete with a loud groan and her headphones were knocked from her head and across the sidewalk. She let out a low groan and held the back of her head that was now aching. And the front of her head as well. There was the feeling of something warm running down her eyebrow… She touched it and saw blood.

Piper sat up with a moan and turned to look at what hit her. But she was not prepared for what she saw… It was the orange masked turtle, Michelangelo. He was holding his forehead in turn and then gasped at her. He was seen. Oh no, the guys are gonna be so mad!

Their shock of each other though was cut short from a loud bang in the alleyway and out stumbled the enemy him and his brother were fighting. And speaking of his brother, the purple masked turtle had stumbled out of the alleyway, knocking over a tin garbage can in the process.

"Mikey!" Donatello shouted, looking over at his brother. He then saw who was next to him, still in shock from the whole thing. He expected her to run away screaming any second now. But with Donatello distracted by the scene, he didn't see the low kick to the front of his plastron delivered by the Kraang Droid he was trying to destroy.

Donatello was thrown out into the middle of the street and was so dizzy that he couldn't react in time. There was a Semi-truck heading in his direction.

Piper didn't know what had come over her when she thought this was a good idea. But while Michelangelo was tackled by the Kraang droid, Piper ran into the road to protect someone and something she has never met or seen before.

"Look out!" Piper shouted. Donatello finally looked up and he saw the headlights speeding towards him very quickly. He froze like a baby deer but was not killed.

Piper sprinted at full speed before she shoved him with all the force she could muster. Donatello fell backwards away from the road and the semi-truck. But that just means that Piper was the one that took the hit for him.

The front of the semi-truck smashed into her side and she went across the pavement. No doubt her leg was broken. And her clothes were torn and her skin was scraped and bruised. And her head was throbbing and her vision was blurry.

Piper lay on the concrete with so much pain through her body, it was unbelievable. Donatello didn't see her get hit but he heard it. It was the most sickening sound he's ever heard… Before the driver of the semi-truck could get out and look at what he hit, Donatello rushed to Piper and picked her up. He got a few groans from her as he did so but he carried her into the darkness of the streets.

Michelangelo had finally finished off the Kraang droid and watched as the semi-truck drove off with a very confused driver. He saw that Piper was in Donatello's arms and he rushed across the street.

"Donnie!" He shouted, kneeling down next to his brother who was pulling the now bloodied dark brown hair out of Piper's face.

"Is she okay?" Michelangelo asked as he touched the cut on her upper arm. Donatello was breathing heavy and just nodded.

"She'll survive. But we have to get her back to the lair. If we don't help her there, she might go into a coma, and we don't need that,"

Michelangelo just nodded and watched his brother stand up with Piper in his arms. Her head fell lazily over his arm and her arm hung down from out of his grip. Michelangelo was still confused as to what had even happened to her.

"What happened?" He asked Donatello. His brother breathed in carefully and looked down at the girl's face that had a forming bruise on her cheek and cuts all over her face and neck.

Donatello looked at his brother with a very serious expression. "She saved my life,"