[i]"Crime is an everyday occurrence. But here in the Big Apple, it seems to be much more than just a series of small, isolated incidents. It's apparent an organized element is at work and, at the moment, business is good. So good, in fact, there appear to be no eyewitnesses to any of these crimes. With complaints ranging, from purse-snatching, to breaking and entering, police switchboards have been swamped with the angry voices of more and more citizens, who have fallen prey to the recent surge that continues to plague the city..."[/i]

The apple. The big old apple. Everything seems to never quiet down, or go dark, even after the sun goes down - hence the famous title as "the city that never sleeps". It was the time of the 90s, where records, surrounding crime, remained high. The city's reputation for chaos and disorder were jeopardizing the safety of the locals, to the point where it officially became part of daily life. The illegal drug trade flourished, murder rates soared, and the city was divided by gangs and syndicates. Not to mention that homelessness and the jobless was a serious concern, having to fill the streets, where not even people can evenly walk. 

[i]"...merchandise of every size and description, from skateboards to stereo systems, has been disappearing from store shelves and storage areas at an alarming rate. Even the victims themselves rarely glimpse the thieves. Many don't know they've been victimized until it's too late. In fact, police have yet to come up with an eyewitness..."[/i]

With April O'Neil's report on the same topic appearing on television screens daily, including the week before (and the week before that), it felt as if nobody could find control in the streets of the Big Apple. Not even the police didn't seem to care on what goes on around them. So, amongst the many, they had to cope and open up their awareness in the alleys and subways. 

That very same report came once more, as Jennifer walked by the screen that sat in the display case of a store. A pizza box in-hand, she headed towards the building, where she found solace, with another like her: Charlotte. Oddities appear in the city, all the time, but then, that one night changed her perspective entirely, having to be fused with another organism she recently came into contact with. 

It was only but a few months ago that Charlotte was found on the fire escape, one night, by the other teen - on the same night, where she found her to also be inflicted by the same mysterious substance that struck upon Jennifer, back at her job. The chances of being discovered for scientific purposes had to be on the down-low.