Based on Captain America: Civil War. Enjoy!
The room was dark, darker than most of his previous interviews.
It was eerie, almost unnerving.
"Just one more time, Mr. Powers, if you please."
But hey, as long as there was someone willing to listen, he was more than willing to talk.
"Liked the tale that much, huh?" He smirked and examined his finger nails, an action mainly for show considering he hadn't taken the time to properly file them in months.
The man across the table smiled, an unsettling sight to say the least, but who was Clutch to complain?
"Let's just say… this one's for the record."
"Ah." Clutch leaned back in his seat, folding his hands in his lap. "Well, that's different, then. Audio or video recording?"
"Does it matter?"
A smirk twisted the handsome explorer's lips. "What do you think?"
The man's smile was growing more unsettling by the minute, if that was even possible. It was an odd mixture of self-assured, satisfied, and devious—a combination Clutch never liked to see outside his own bathroom mirror.
"Just audio this time, Mr. Powers."
"Oh, and it's Professor Powers. For the record, of course."
"Yes… Of course." Then, with a click of the recording device, the interview began.
It was one Clutch would soon come to remember as perhaps the most crucial interview of his career.
"Professor,"—The way the title slithered off his tongue made Clutch slightly regret ever correcting him. Just slightly, though—"you were the one who led the Ninja through that recently discovered pyramid, weren't you?"
Clutch straightened, the lack of cameras doing nothing to keep him from putting on his award-winning smirk. "Of course. The Ninja are skilled and all, but trust me when I say there ain't no way they could've made it through that pyramid on their own."
"You were their guide, then?"
"I'm tellin' you, they'd be dead right now if I hadn't been there."
The man nodded as he templed his fingers and leaned forward. "Yes… There are many who would be alive right now if the Ninja hadn't been there in the first place."
"Well, yeah, I guess—"
"Tell me, Professor Powers, were you there when Aspheera was released from her tomb?"
Clutch cocked a brow. "You mean that fiery snake lady? 'Course I was there. Or weren't you listening when I said I was the one who got them safely through—"
"So, you had a hand in freeing her, then?" There was something in the man's tone now that sent a tingle down the explorer's spine. Something elusive.
Something dangerous.
"I mean," Clutch replied slowly, "I was there when that ice ninja read the ancient hieroglyphics. Is that Kai or Zane? I can never get all their names straight. There's too many of them, ya know?"
"Ancient writings?"
Nodding felt foolish during an audio recording, but Clutch couldn't help it. "Yeah. All over the wall. It was your typical temple warning. Those things never do make a lick of sense—"
"There was a warning?" The man sat back, his expression contemplative. "A warning that one of the Ninja read aloud?"
"Isn't that what I just sa—"
"Tell me, Professor, for the record, despite the knowledge that the ancient tomb came with an obvious warning, our city's greatest heroes proceeded to unlock the tomb and unleash a terror unlike any Ninjago has ever seen?"
"Well, I don't know if those snakes were unlike anything this city's ever seen. I mean, remember the Serpentine? Then there were those Vermillion Warrior things." Clutch waved a hand. "Aspheera wasn't anything new."
"But she was dangerous. And she tore apart Ninjago within a matter of hours. All because the Ninja couldn't keep their hands to themselves."
"Hey, I tried to stop them. This city's been through enough already, am I right?" Clutch had tried for humorous, but the man wasn't laughing. "You know how persistent those kids are."
"You have no idea… One last thing, if you don't mind."
"Shoot."
When the man's smile darkened, Clutch found himself fighting to keep his own firmly in place. "Would you have done it? Would you have messed around in a forbidden tomb when you had absolutely no idea what sort of consequences doing so would bring?"
"Oh, never. You know, if there's one thing I always say, it's never tamper with the unknown. At least, not until you've read all the warnings, am I right?"
This time, the man did laugh, a slightly unnerving sound Clutch wasn't sure he ever wanted to hear again.
"You're quite right, Professor Powers. But as you said, the Ninja are nothing if not persistent. Why do you suppose they even ventured into the pyramid with you in the first place."
"Besides obviously wanting to study under Ninjago's greatest explorer? Who knows? They said they needed some sort of quest." Clutch shrugged. "Something to do, I guess. If you ask me, those kids were bored out of their brains. You should've seen the way they were practically begging me to let 'em come along. Because," he amended quickly, "who wouldn't beg for a chance to go on an adventure with the Great Clutch Powers, heh."
"Yes…" With a sharp click, the interview was over. "Thank you, Professor. This has been very enlightening."
"If you're sure you don't wanna hear about some of my other explorations. You know, the more recent ones…?"
"That's quite all right," the man said, rising quickly. "I got what I came for."
"Well, what news station are you with? When'll I be able to hear the interview in the media?"
"Don't you worry, Professor." There was that grin again… "Your story will soon be the hottest thing in Ninjago."
Clutch allowed himself a satisfied smirk. "You think so?"
"Oh…" First, his smile darkened once more as he made for the exit. "I'm counting on it."
Then, the room darkened as the man shut the door with a bang, stealing away the tiny chamber's only source of light.
Clutch Powers was left on his own to grope his way through the darkness with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Someone was planting a ticking time bomb.
And it seemed the countdown timer had just been set off.