One single candle was lit in the dark room where a particularly odd individual sat meditating. The over sized rat sat, concentrating on his breathing and thinking about nothing at all. His four sons were about to turn in for the night. They were tired from a long night of crime fighting. The foot clan had been up to more and more trouble lately and the police hadn't been able to keep up. Thus, the rat had sent out his boys.

An exasperated sigh escaped the rat's lips. He just couldn't concentrate. He knew his boys were safe but he couldn't help feeling something was wrong. Something very dangerous was about to take place and it was something that he couldn't help but think would affect his family in a very personal way.

With years of practice at his aid, the rat managed to slip back into meditation again. Suddenly a cold chill ran down his back and the candle went out. Splinter knew, whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon.

Splinter hurried to his four son's bedrooms, waking each in turn and telling them to meet him in the living room in five minutes. His sons woke and rubbed their eyes with three fingered hands. Why three fingers? Why, because the rats sons were nothing other than mutated turtles! An odd family for sure, but a close one.

"Why on earth would Splinter want us up this early?" asked a turtle with an orange mask.

"I'm sure we'll find out Mikey. Master Splinter wouldn't get us out of bed this early for nothing," a blue masked turtle answered.

"Technically, it is late, not early guys," said a rather groggy but still smart purple masked turtle.

"Oh, who cares?!" A red masked turtle spat at his younger brother, "This is not a good fucking time to be up, early or late!"

The four turtles glared at each other groggily, waiting for their master to tell them this was some silly exercise so they could go back to bed and ignore each other for awhile.

"My sons, " the four brothers jumped at the sudden arrival of their master, "I have distressing news. I do not fully understand what is about to happen, but something is about to happen."

The four looked at him questioningly.

The rat sighed, "During meditation, I was interrupted."

"By what master?" the blue masked turtle, Leonardo, asked slightly concerned.

"I do not know. Something dark, something foreboding. Something that told me we are needed on the surface. I need you, my sons, to go and see what is going on and help those who need it. Whatever happens tonight will change our lives forever. Although I do not know if we will be affected in a positive way or not."

"So, we have to go save someone- we don't know who- but we have to save them, in the middle of the night. And on top of that, this might not turn out well for us. Well I can hardly wait!" the red masked turtle, Raphael, threw his arms in the air, "Why does this make no sense to me?"

"Raphael! Calm down. Just because it does not make sense does not mean it is bad," the rat sighed "You and your brothers will go out one last time tonight and check around. "

"Hai, sensei!" the turtles responded as one.