Author's Note: So I'm doing the chapter layouts a little differently as you'll see. I've decided to give them a chapter focusing on their separate experiences before having a second chapter for when they've met up and possibly defeating or passing the level. There might be an 'epilogue' of sorts for each level that focuses on the waking world affects of things.
Also, please forgive the probably very inaccurate details of how the subway tunnels and system might work. I know nothing about subways. But for this story, this is how things work.
As you will see here, this is practically a new story almost. I hope you enjoy the first part of Level 1. The second will be out when it's finished. Let me know your thoughts if you're willing.
No flames! Thanks!
Level One: The Underground Part A
Player 1
Michelangelo Hamato scowled at yet another up leading stairway that was blocked off by a broad, grungy tiled wall. He sighed, realizing there was no getting out this way and turned around.
He had been investigating the railways for nearly an hour, and this was his third platform which had been just a mile down the tracks from the last one, which had been a mile and a half down from the one he woke up on. He paused, listening for any on coming trains from the platform. Not hearing any, he jumped down and continued following the lines. He kept an ear out for anything as he ruminated on things so far.
He had woken up in an old subway office. Clearly one not used in years if the built up dust was anything to go by. He had found a note in the office with him.
'Congratulations! You have been chosen as a player for the game. For the duration of the game, you will be expected to complete levels and meet the objective goals for each. Pay close attention to your surroundings to understand the rules and how the game works.
For Level One, your objective is to defeat the boss of the Underground and escape! Good luck. And do try not to die.'
Barely an explanation to the situation. Though Mikey couldn't really blame that note for any thing. His dreams hardly ever made sense. Especially now a days.
And he knew this was a dream. Or an annoying nightmare, considering the malformed and unnatural creatures that he had found throughout the tunnels:
Such as the large, deformed rats that reached his knees.
Colonies of dark purple bats that had nearly blended with the darkness above the rails.
Malformed, off colored pigeons with weird mutations, such as being three times their normal size with strangely sharp wing tips and beaks. And creepy protrusions.
Deteriorating, decaying coyotes, though he had only seen a couple of those thankfully.
There was also a large number of bugs the size of feet. He thinks, only to himself, that he could relate to Raphael and his phobia a little bit better after this.
He shook his head to rid the images from his mind. He really needed to focus and keep an ear out in case any of the creatures were near by. He walked for about ten minutes in the dim light before finding another platform.
This one had three of the rats crawling around which made him grimace. Unlike the smaller creatures, these ones and the coyotes didn't just turn to dust.
Then he noticed a door with a green plaque on the back wall. He hadn't found a room on either of the last platforms, so this was something new. Stealing his nerves, he launched onto the platform and swiftly dispatched the three rats.
He wouldn't be able to look Master Splinter in the eyes for a while after he woke up.
Once that grisly task was done, Mikey gently opened the door and peaked in. It looked almost like a break room of some kind. He didn't notice any creatures so he slipped in to look around.
There was a plain white fold up table with some chairs. A fridge, sink, and a couple of cabinets. On the table was a folder with some papers. Curiosity getting the best of him, he grabbed those first.
He skimmed through the files. Some were incident reports, explaining gruesome injuries received on the job, including the amputation of a rail worker's leg from the 433 train. And the fatal electrocution of two other workers down the 432 tunnel.
There was one report about an infestation of some kind. But the paper was too stained for Michelangelo to narrow down what it was. However, it did seem to be isolated to the area around the 43- something platform.
Others were maintenance reports. Something seemed to be affecting the power in the 431 tunnel and platform. It had gone out three times in the past week the report was made, causing the platform to be shut down for hours at a time.
The most alarming thing to Mikey, however, were the reports of workers going missing in the tunnels around the 431 platform. At least seven workers had gone missing in the span of a month. Phones and I.D cards had been recovered. And in one case, torn up clothes covered in dried blood and other fluids. But no bodies.
The last sheet of paper was a hand written note of one of the last workers to leave the job.
'I swear, something's wrong with the 431 lines. And I don't mean just the technical facilities. I know something is down there. The lights gave out last week and Joe still hasn't come back from repairs. Didn't repair anything either since the circuit is still down. The search crew haven't returned either.
Well, Caleb did. But the poor kid doesn't make any sense. Claimed that the crew had all been picked off one by one. He seemed positive they were dead. Whatever happened must have be traumatic. The poor guy had only just graduated high school too. Barely 18 last week. Unfortunately, the kid had a high dose of hallucinogens in his system so nothing he says can be trusted.
It's weird though, I never pegged the kid to use such substances. He was adamant about getting a higher paying job and didn't want a record for the stuff. I can't imagine what was going through his head. Especially with him being in a ward for now to help him recover from the whole thing.
But it seems like something he said spooked the boss. He closed down the tunnel. I expect they've closed off the junction by now. A damn waste of the people's tax dollars if you ask me. I really hope Caleb pulls through though.'
Mikey bit his lip in concern. The note and reports were... Unsettling, to be frank. And yet...
He was rather curious about the line. This was all rather morbid for one of his dreams, admittedly. But it was still his dream. Besides, he was one of the more curious of his family. He'd probably also be the first to die in a horror movie if one listened to Raph.
Considering what he planned to do, maybe the older was right. He put the papers down and looked around the rest of the room.
In one of the cabinets was a flashlight. Mikey could have cried when the light worked. Though it wasn't very charged so he'd have to be stingy with it. He also found a box of matches that he took. You never knew when some fire would come in handy.
He found a vial with green pills... He wasn't sure what those were but took them anyways. In this drawer was also a key with the tag '430 Storage Room'.
The last cabinet had a map of the railway system pinned to it. Well, most of it at any rate. The immediate area that he was in at least.
He was in the break room on the 429 platform. He was two stops from the entrance to the 431 tunnel. The 430 platform was met at the entrance by the 432 tunnel. It was roughly a walk of a few of miles between each platform and tunnel entrance. The 431 tunnel seemed to travel down about three or four miles before reaching it's platform.
And while there were no noticeable rooms on the 429 platform, the 430 platform had a room on it which Mikey decided to investigate before heading to the 431 tunnel. Though the 432 looked like it had a room there too, so if he decided to save the 431 until after he checked the 432, they weren't too far apart. So it wouldn't be too out of his way if he chose to continue exploring.
Mind made up, Mikey secured the vial of green pills, folded map, and key in his pouch before turning back to the door. His brows furrowed. The plaque on the door was yellow, but he could have sworn that it was green when he entered.
He shrugged. Oh well. He had the next platform to get too.
Player 2
Oroku Saki slashed through the rats that had tried to ambush him. He looked at the gore that decorated his tanto blade with something resembling distaste. This had been going on for nearly half an hour as he traveled down the 435 line to the 434. Currently, he was headed towards the 433 line and platform before he made his way to the 432.
He kept his senses strained for any movement or oncoming trains. Not that he had seen any since the beginning of his dream. But better safe than sorry. He was still unsure of what he had done to affect his subconscious is such a way. The only clue he had to this dream was the note he had found in the break room on the 436 platform.
'Congratulations! You have been chosen as a player for the game. For the duration of the game, you will be expected to complete levels and meet the objective goals for each. Pay close attention to your surroundings to understand the rules and how the game works.
For Level One, your objective is to defeat the boss of the Underground and escape! Good luck. And do try not to die.'
Since his entrance to the subways, he hadn't found a single exit. Everyone of them so far being blocked by the same wall that lined the platforms. He also hadn't ran into anyone who could be another player. He could admit he was curious as to who his subconscious would drag into his mess of a dream. Though if he had to guess, it would probably be either Karai or Takeshi- Tiger Claw as the rest of the clan knew him.
He stopped and tilted his head, there was chittering from the cave above. He sighed to himself. It was probably a swarm of those unusual purple bats that liked to bombard him. Apparently the three colonies of 20 he left hacked apart back near the 436 tunnel wasn't enough of a deterrent. Of course it wouldn't be. It never really was.
The mess, though, he could have done without. Even knowing it was just a dream, he hated the viscera that splattered when the flying rodents were disposed of. If this has been happening in the waking world, his leather armor would be unsalvageable from the fluids currently staining it.
He finally reached the 433 platform. Looking from afar, he spotted one of the decaying coyotes sniffing around a door with a green plaque. And another two that seemed to be fighting over one of the large, malformed rats. That wasn't a surprise, really. He supposed even in his dream these things had to eat.
The door however was something he was very interested in. If he was fast enough, he could dispatch the one by the door and get in before the two fighting could get to him. If they even noticed. Nodding and sticking to the shadows, he crept up to the coyote by the door. And when it began nawing on the handle, he took the opportunity to slice it's head off.
A glance to the side showed the other two still playing tug of war with the rat's corpse. Shaking his head, he quietly pulled the new corpse away since it took its time to decay, and entered the room. He heard the two coyotes notice him just before the door clicked close. A brief moment later and he heard the coyotes corpse being dragged away.
That also wasn't a surprise. Saki figured before looking at the room he was in. It was an office. There was a large desk with a thick folder. A key with a tag. He also spotted a large map pinned to the wall. There wasn't much else. Brows furrowed, he stepped further inside.
The folder held several incident reports along with a diagram for fixing an electrical circuit around the 431 platform. Curious, he skimmed through the incident reports.
Unscheduled amputations. Fatal electrocution. Missing persons reports. All of that around the 431 tunnel and platform. There was a blurred picture attached to one of the pages which turned out to be a hand written notice by the head of the engineering team.
'We stumbled on young Caleb coming from the 431 tunnel three days after the search team had deployed to look for Joe after he never returned from fixing the electric unit at platform 431.
The kid was high as a kite and covered in bruises, bites, and cuts. Which was weird, as Caleb had been a clean kid with no interest in hallucinogens. The injuries could easily be written off as a run in with some of the rodents around the tunnels. Where the drugs came from is anyone's guess. Especially with the search team gone now too.
I wrote this down because I didn't believe the kid at first when he said the others were all gone. Picked off one by one. I chalked it up to the drugs but... I think he may have been being honest. Or as honest and lucid a drugged person can be.
At first, I was wondering if we had a killer homeless guy in the tunnels. But all of the team had been big guys. And Joe wasn't a small fragile guy himself. He was a gold medalist in wrestling. Now, with what I found in the picture attached to this file, I'm sure it's something else. I think it's an infestation. And a pretty large one too considering the amount of these things. If it is an infestation like I think... God have mercy on their souls.
It must have been hell. For now, all we can do is board up the 431 tunnel entrance and have the tracks redirected through the 435 and 427 tracks. But if that infestation gets too far out, we might just have to risk an underground collapse or fire to deal with it. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I have a stock of flammables in the storage room on platform 430. And who knows, maybe the electrical circuit kept getting messed up because of the sparks. They seem flammable enough to have been an issue...'
Saki's brows furrowed as he turned to the picture again. As much as he wanted to see what it was all about, he couldn't make out anything through the thin scratches in the center of the Polaroid where the tunnels entrance had been documented.
Either way, it seemed he would need to get into the Storage Room on Platform 430, which according to the map was right down the tunnel from 432 which he would pass before reaching the tunnel entrance for 431. Which he would be looking into out of curiosity.
With those notes out of the way, he began to rifle through the drawers of the desks and filing cabinets. While there weren't anymore interesting notes or files, he did find a few things.
He found a couple of flares which were useful. A vial of green pills and another one with some kind of purple liquid. He decided to keep both of them out of curiosity if nothing else. The key he had seen earlier was tagged 'Tool Box Key'. And since he couldn't find a hammer or crowbar for the tunnel- which was said to be boarded up- he could only hope the tool box the key belonged too was in the storage room on Platform 430.
Pocketing the polaroid just because, he scanned the room one more time before leaving out the door which now had a yellow plaque. Saki's brows furrowed. "I could have sworn that was green. " He muttered. On edge with the subtle way his dream had shifted, he made his way towards the 432 platform.
Player 1
Mikey glanced at the 429 platform. At least three coyotes, not including what might be hiding in the restroom.
Honestly, one would think the bathrooms would be on the map. But no. He had almost just passed the area, but he was curious about it.
Sue him, he wondered what scenarios his super weird dream/nightmare would present. He spent a few minutes contemplating his decision before deciding to hail Mary it and hope he didn't get too injured.
He got bit in the arm by one of the coyotes and another scratched his leg. But overall, he didn't do too bad. Now alone he crept into the restroom. It had three stalls which really wasn't enough for a subway platform.
He glance around, scrunching his beak in disgust. Maybe he should have kept going. It was filthy. The mirror was spider webbed so badly one could see several tiny reflections in it. Well... they would, if they could see through the grime. The sinks underneath were all stained yellow and brown with suspicious splatters that he didn't want to investigate any further.
The tiled floor was stained in multiple places with trash strewn about. Not including the stagnant puddles by the wall which were heavily graffitied.
The stalls were once a deep blue, but the paint was faded and chipped. That wasn't including the thick dust that coated the doors. The first stall was straight up missing it's door, revealing an empty cubicle with a yellow toilet covered in a green filmy scum. 'Ew.'
The second stall was open and Mikey found the first stall door in it. 'Why?'
The last stall door was closed, but having come this far he pushed it open. Then almost screamed at the nearly mummified corpse on the toilet seat with its knees drawn to their chest.
He stumbled back, eyes locked onto the dried up raisin of a person. They had clearly been here for years, just withering away. There wasn't any death stench, but it still made him nauseous.
And because he was absolutely not throwing up in this disgusting place, he had to swallow it back. Once the shock had either worn off or he was able to ignore it- Mikey wasn't sure which one it was- he really took in the scene.
It had been male, Michelangelo was sure. The worn, threaded jumpsuit was nearly falling apart. It looked like a uniform of some kind. He could barely make out a name tag of some kind. It was so faded he almost wasn't able to read it. Almost.
Caleb.
The kid from the note he had read. The one about the missing workers and the only one who had survived. If Mikey remembered correctly, he had also been high when found. But what was he doing here?
Taking a deep breath to steal his nerves, he stepped into the stall and closer to the kid. Kami, the kid had been barely 18. Younger than Mikey and his brothers, even. And wasn't he supposed to be in a ward or something to recover? What was he doing back here? And why was he a dried up husk of a person?
He swept his eyes over the kid, trying to pick up on anything out of place. His eyes fell on a bit of notepad trapped between the knees and chest. Oh man. He did not want to do this, but he also felt a need to know what was on the notepad. It was probably the kid's last words. Someone needed to see them. And it was apparently going to be Mikey.
His hands shook slightly as they pried the notepad out as gently as possible. He succeeded in collecting it, noting how brittle the paper was. But still sturdy enough for him to read the faded last words of a kid who had definitely died too early.
'I shouldn't have come back here. I should have left it all behind me.
But no one believed me! They said it was all a hallucination due to drugs. But I would never touch those things.
I had to see for myself if it was all a bad trip or if it really happened. If the screams that haunt me are my own demons or if they truly follow my every waking moment as often as they do in my nightmares.
And I did find out. It wasn't a bad trip or something I imagined. This nightmare is all to real. And now I'm trapped here with the rejected monstrosities of reality that shouldn't exist. I'm going to die here, just like Joe and the others.
God. Please make my death quick. Please don't let me go the same way as them, devoured alive and aware of every moment. If anyone can, tell my mother that I loved her. And I'm sorry.'
Michelangelo felt nauseated as he read the kid's final prayer and pleads. His final request. He looked at the body that had clearly died a slow, painful death of dehydration and hunger. Caused by the paralyzing fear of hopelessness.
'Kami have mercy on these peoples' souls.' he prayed. He decided to take Caleb's final words with him. Maybe once the shock of all of this wore off, he'd be able to really consider what was in the note. Maybe he could find Caleb's information in another room. Maybe on the 330 platform he was headed too.
He gave the body one more moment of silence in respect before slipping back out and continuing his path.
Michelangelo wasn't sure when he forgot this was all supposed to be a lucid nightmare. But in that moment, it all felt too terribly, traumatically real.
However, running into the Shredder, of all people, on the 430 Platform brought it back into crystal clear perspective. And with it, a revelation. 'Chosen to be a player.' His subconscious had chosen the Shredder as a player to this twisted nightmare world he still couldn't wake up from. Which left Michelangelo with a very important question:
Did his imagination intend for this to be P.v.P or Co-Op?
Player 2
Oroku Saki had found another office on the 432 platform. It was much smaller than the one on the 433 platform, but it was still an office. There wasn't much here, though he did find a memo, stating that both the 'tape' and the 431 exit key was in the 430 storage room. Along with a VCR and television to watch 'the tape' on.
'A tape? Interesting.' he mused. Then he took note of the next part. 'So there is an exit. Thank Kami.' he thought. Logically, the exit should be the key to waking up from this grisly, morbid dream. Why had he even had this dream in the first place? He could think of nothing that would have resulted in such a setting.
Shaking his head, Saki next found a manila folder with several Employee I.Ds and another note. It looked to be in the same hand as the previous one he had read. Curious, he read the words written in a shaky hand trembling with emotion.
'Final report for the 431 Platform and Tunnel investigation. See 'tape' for mentioned details.
Authorities began a search party for the missing workers of the underground. With the help of volunteers, the total search party numbered more than 300 able bodies. However, less than a week into the search, the parties were noted to be lacking in searchers upon returning to the entrance of the underground.
The search began with 300 only to drop to an unsettling 234 by the third day. More searchers were called in to help find the missing workers and searchers bringing the total of able bodies up to 500.
Only for the process to happen once more but much more drastically noticed.
The very first week of the initial search went from looking for 10 missing workers to a total of 70 people. The next week the number of missing people went up to 130. However, one worker from the original search was recovered.
The 18 year old trainee, Caleb Carrington. Unfortunately, attempts to question the individual was met with insane babbling and horror stories that unfortunately did not make much sense due to the recovered person having a high dose of hallucinogenic drugs in his system. The exact drug currently unknown.
Caleb Carrington is currently being treated at XX Hospital in New York City for psychological damage and schizophrenic episodes. In addition to severe dehydration and starvation.
At this point, authorities decided to launch a new investigation with compliance from the remaining workers of the original underground unit. While combing through many hours of footage from old sometimes not even functioning cameras, authorities finally found some footage with relevance to the case.
However, after witnessing the content of the footage with the Head Engineer in charge of the tunnels, the case was put on a permanent closed log with instructions to board up the 431 tunnel and reroute the tracks.
Footage is confidential and locked away. Authorities will deliver condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the duration of the investigation.'
Saki grimaced. The information in the report was... Unsettling. He glanced at the I.Ds that must have belonged to the workers. He flipped through the cards, all five meaning only half of the cards were found. He stopped on the last one which had Caleb Carrington's name. The kid was younger than his daughter and looked younger still than 18.
His face still had the last traces of baby fat with large brown eyes matching his curly brown hair. He looked sort of scrawny, almost like he had just recently come into his height.
Loss of such a young life was always sad. He stilled before sighing. With how things had been so far, he almost forgot this was a dream. An extremely depressing and morbid one. But still just a dream. He still found himself pocketing the I.D. There was no use for such a thing, but he still did it.
Names and people in dreams were said to come from somewhere in the waking world. He wondered where he saw this one.
With a final look around the room, he made his way out the door. It was unusually silent on the platform. On edge he made his way towards the 430 Platform. He had one last stop before he investigated the 431 tunnel.
He had wondered before who his mind had drawn into this place with him. The very last person he expected was his youngest nephew. Wide baby blue eyes looked at him before narrowing. The youngest of his brother's children tensed should Shredder decide to attack him.
But he didn't make the first move. Shredder wasn't sure why, but the usually orange banded turtle has left the ball in his court so to speak.
Now, how to proceed?
Author's Note: And there is part 1 of Level 1. As you can see everything has changed and its definitely getting longer. Hope you enjoyed!