Shatter | The Boys

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The city skyline painted a canvas of neon lights as Christina Duke, a single mother driven by an unholy obsession, cradled her newborn daughter in her arms. Raven, a tiny bundle of potential, was born into a world where Vought's influence stretched far beyond the glitzy facade of heroism. Christina, consumed by a fanatical desire to mold the perfect supe, had orchestrated Raven's existence long before her birth.

In the quiet confines of their modest apartment, Christina stared into Raven's innocent eyes, her own filled with a fervor that bordered on madness. She had meticulously chosen a sperm donor with what she believed to be the perfect genetic makeup, a cocktail that would yield the ultimate supe. The act was deliberate, a calculated step towards fulfilling her singular purpose.

Christina's obsession with supes was more than a passing fancy; it was a relentless force that guided her every decision. Her walls were adorned with posters of Vought's most celebrated heroes, a shrine to the very essence she believed her daughter should embody. Raven's nursery was decorated with comic book heroes, Vought propaganda, and a mobile of miniature capes and masks.

From the moment Raven entered the world, Christina was determined to shape her destiny. The faint scent of Compound V lingered in the air as Christina, fueled by an unyielding passion, administered the serum to her newborn daughter. The infant's cries were drowned out by Christina's conviction that she was providing Raven with the gift of greatness.

As the days turned into months and Raven began to exhibit peculiar traits, Christina's fanaticism intensified. The first time Raven rocked her crib with an unexpected burst of power, Christina's eyes gleamed with an unholy pride. This was the manifestation of her dream, the realization that her daughter was destined for supremacy.

Christina's single-minded pursuit of perfection left no room for the ordinary joys of motherhood. Playtime was a rigorous regimen of training exercises, and bedtime stories were replaced with lectures on the history of Vought and the responsibility that came with being a supe. Raven's laughter became an echo of her mother's relentless demands, the sound of innocence gradually giving way to the weight of expectation.

As Raven grew, Christina's influence became an inescapable web, tightening around her daughter's every move. The school years were a battleground of conformity, where Raven's uniqueness became both her blessing and curse. Christina hovered on the sidelines, a phantom orchestrator of her daughter's social interactions. The other children, unwitting pawns in Christina's game, were mere background noise in the symphony of her grand design.

Raven, a bright and curious child, felt the weight of her mother's expectations pressing down on her like an invisible crown. She longed for the simplest pleasures, the freedom to explore her own identity, but Christina's grip only tightened. The desire to please her mother warred with the longing for normalcy, and Raven found herself caught in a perpetual struggle.

Christina's obsession reached its zenith when Raven entered adolescence. The promise of a world-shaking supe, the culmination of years of meticulous planning, hung in the air like an unspoken prophecy. But the cost of Christina's ambition would be far greater than either could fathom.

The apartment walls seemed to close in as Raven navigated the tumultuous waters of adolescence. Her room, once a haven adorned with comic book heroes, became a stifling chamber where the air crackled with the tension of unspoken expectations. Raven's powers, once a source of pride for Christina, now hung like an oppressive cloud over their lives.

As Raven grappled with the confusing mosaic of teenage emotions, Christina's demands became increasingly stringent. Training sessions grew more intense, the weight of responsibility heavier on Raven's young shoulders. The subtle rebellion that had flickered in Raven's eyes transformed into a smoldering defiance, a spark that awaited the perfect conditions to ignite.