Prologue; Runaway
New York City was no stranger to the sight of kids walking down the street with a large backpack and their faces covered. Runaways come from all over the world to this city thinking that it had something to offer them. Most of them would be caught up in the city's many gangs and turned into hardened criminals, or become victims of gang related crime. It was a shame, but most felt it was not their problem, or that somebody else was working to fix the issue.
So when one kid was seen walking down the street, head bowed so that the hood of their jacket fell over their face and hands tucked in the jacket pockets, nobody paid any mind. The large backpack with the sleeping bag was a blatant sign of someone who was now homeless, it worked like a giant neon sign that screamed 'ignore me!' and the sign worked. No one paid any attention or gave any thought as this small figure turned into an alley, and no one saw this figure pry up a sewer lid and lower their backpack underground before climbing down after it.
Down below street level the backpack was lifted again and the figure trekked down the tunnels as casually as a college student hitchhiking to school.