Chapter 2
"What's so funny?" Jonathan asked as he came home.
At this stage all the turtles were now laughing hysterically. Previously, after Max's joke at fake martial arts, the turtles had enjoyed some home wrestling entertainment which could have ended pretty seriously if the turtles had been the lean mean fighting machines as portrayed by the cartoon. However as it stands, they were harmless and their blows couldn't inflict any real damage.
"We saw this cartoon about us." Liem said at once.
Sam's father looked troubled for a moment and then as he understood what was being said, he laughed.
"Oh that. That cartoon's been on for ages. I can't believe it's still on. Samantha used to love it when she was little."
"How long has it been on?" Dan asked.
"Oh about twenty years. It originated from a comic book which came out even earlier than that." John replied.
"See, I told you it wasn't a lure for us." Dan turned on Liem, who was still considering this new piece of information. "Unless you're suggesting that someone somehow predicted our existence twenty years ago."
"That's still a pretty big coincidence though." Said Max thoughtfully. "I mean the story fits us perfectly. Maybe someone did predict we would be born and that one day we would develop superpowers and go out and save the world."
"Max, what century are you in?" Rupert sneered.
"Although I must say, you boys shouldn't even have been in here by yourselves." John now looked stern. "Haven't I told you enough times already that unless we're with you, you should stay in the basement? What if someone sees you or hears you when we're out of the house and thinks that something suspicious is going on?"
All the turtles now shuffled nervously on their feet.
"It was Max. He ran into the kitchen and we kind of followed." Liem reported.
"I was hungry." Max protested.
"I thought I stocked the basement just last night." Said Max.
"Um... I got hungry." Said Max uncomfortably.
"We're sorry." The others all said together.
"Did you all do the algebra questions I set?" John asked.
"Well we um… Dan did it." Rupert replied, looking sideways at Dan who had refused to let the others copy his work.
"From now on, I want each and every one of you to do the work that I set you. You must study. It will become more important in your life. If you are to convince society to accept you, you must excel at the things that society values. And not only must you excel but you must be truly better than most people for them to take you seriously."
"John, do you really think people will accept us if one day you let us go out onto the streets?" Liem asked seriously.
"I cannot promise anything for sure." Said John, his voice was now more gentle. "But none the less we must work at it so that there is still hope. I can try to keep you in my basement for the rest of your life, but you will come to hate me for it."
This was quite true, for although they lived a relatively carefree lifestyle in the basement, they were frequently becoming more and more bored and in their youth, had developed a thirst for adventure. Sadly for these turtles, even a trip to the kitchen was an adventure in itself.