Akande lay kneeling in the center of the quiet room, resting both palms on his knees. Along the circular boundaries of the room many mirrors reflected his meditative stance. The soundproof walls would ensure absolute peace. He would need it for what would happen next. Here, he prayed he would learn the secrets to becoming stronger, for the sake of humanity.
"Mr. Doomfist, sir," Akande frowned as the door opened behind him. He specifically ordered this room to remain off-limits. "There's some interesting news involving our recent assault on New York. I thought you might-"
"Leave me." he ordered with a harsh tone.
"But sir-"
"I said LEAVE!" he yelled through clenched teeth, without turning around to even acknowledge the words of his subordinate. The soldier scurried away in fear, but thankfully not before shutting the door behind him. Akande could attend to their strategies at a later time.
"Satisfying, is it not? So many pawns, easily at your beck and call." a silvery voice cooed into his ear. Akande had prided himself for his enhanced senses, nurtured for so long in the field of combat. But not even for a moment did he hear her enter the room.
"Alira…" He would never forget that name.
"You're the first, Akande. The first to truly embrace the hierarchy of this world. They may think that it is an era of peace. But the strong have always decided the fate of the weak. The weak don't even choose how they die." She directed her voice towards him. "You look so mighty with that gauntlet of yours, Akande. And yet you hold it back, choosing instead to be the cattle, and not the wolf. Why is that, I wonder?"
"There is no choice in the matter. I am but a human. Humans are weak. This gauntlet isn't nearly enough to change that." He heard something like a low snicker from the person standing behind him.
"Indeed, humans are frail. It's so easy to pull those strings. I find it amusing just how much havoc can be unleashed by severing those threads. And yet," Akande heard footsteps. It seemed they had their backs facing toward each other. "...you seem conflicted, Akande. You were so determined to undo their weakness. What has changed, since then?" His breathing hitched.
"Humanity will always reject the greater good. They choose to act on the needs of the individual, and not the whole. They need someone to guide them in the right direction." He clenched his gauntlet. The power that flowed through him suddenly felt so insignificant. Knowing that certain death awaited him should he turn around made him feel so powerless. "Armies are powerful, but they cannot act as one. Money can manipulate, but it does not give you inner strength. Inner strength is a given, but you can only push the human body so far."
"And you have accepted this reality?" she asked, a hint of interest in her tone.
"I have done all that I could to become stronger." He gave his gauntlet a sorrowful glance. "I must know, Alira. Why does someone as powerful as you choose to remain hidden in the shadows?"
"You flatter me, Akande, really. I am strong, that much is true. And there is a reason why I chose to speak to you. Because unlike them," Pain shot through Akande's back, as something sharp dug straight through his augmented skin. His body toppled forward, falling flat on the ground. "...you would rather surrender your weakness, rather than embrace it. You see it as an obstacle, not who you are."
"Augmentations… training… all useless." He coughed up blood just trying to speak, but he couldn't let the pain overtake his body. Through clenched teeth, he spoke. "Still… far too… weak!"
"Mhm." Was it pity, or annoyance? At this point he couldn't tell. Everything in his vision began fading, and his body felt extremely numb. Whatever shot through his body must have struck something vital. He knew he was dying. Such is the fate of the weak.
Despite his failing vision, he noticed something drop in front of his face, beside the gathering pool of blood. Its strange webbing consisted of a purple hue, and along the ends long nubs extended out.
"What is… this?" he asked, despite his throat clogging up with blood. It was a miracle he was still alive.
"The path to become stronger." she explained with a low voice. "Eat it."
Akande obeyed without a second thought. It wasn't like he had anything left to lose at this point. And if she spoke the truth, well, all the more reason to do as she told.
Unfortunately he ran out of strength to even bring forth either of his arms. The gauntlet felt as though it weighed a ton. Pitifully he crawled forward, his legs just barely moving. Then he chomped on the strange object off the ground, and pulled it into his mouth with his tongue before violently chewing. Despite the bizarre taste and the blood threatening to suffocate him, he chewed and grinded it up, before swallowing it.
For just a moment, the pain stopped. But when that moment passed, it suddenly felt as though a thousand needles jabbed into his body, each one monumentally more painful than when he had been stabbed in the back. This pain was unlike anything he had ever endured.
After a few seconds, his body began convulsing erratically, his dark skin taking on a menacing hue. One by one parts of his body expanded outward with a loud crunch, his veins glowing as he became larger with every second.
He screamed as something thin and crooked exploded out of his trembling shoulders, before they wrapped around his right arm before burrowing into the cortex of the Doomfist. The gauntlet reacted to the sudden intrusion violently, suddenly glowing brighter and brighter, its encompassing energy surpassing impossible limits.
All the while, Alira stood there and watched as Akande's teeth sharpened; the prelude to an earthshaking roar that shattered all the mirrors. The gaping holes she made in his back sealed up immediately, and the blood that collected on the floor turned into dust. Satisfied with her work, she disappeared entirely.
That one minute of hell changed Akande forever. Because now, he was no longer weak.