MR. POKER

Rohan looks at Grinal with a mix of concern and curiosity, "So, what're we gonna do now? Should we go to the morgue?"

Just then, a soldier rushes into the interrogation room without any notice, causing Grinal to become visibly angry, "This is a private interrogation room. How did you enter without permission?"

The soldier immediately apologizes, "Sir, I am sorry, but the matter is really serious."

Taking a deep breath, his voice quavering, he continues, "A dead body is missing from the morgue."

The room falls into a heavy silence as everyone processes this shocking news. Deep down, they all sense that something bad is about to unfold, yet again.

Aritsu asks the soldier, "What? How did this happen?"

The soldier hesitates before responding, "W-we don't know. It appears that someone might have stolen the body."

Grinal interjects, "But why would anyone..."

Rohan, leaning against the wall, exhales in frustration, "Oh god, I am tired of this. First, the experiment lab, now the morgue. Incidents upon incidents."

Aritsu looks at Grinal's face. He is sweating badly.

Seeking answers and reassurance, Aritsu looks at Grinal's distressed face, "Grinal? What happened?"

Grinal replies with a heavy voice, "What do you mean by 'what happened'? Kaush's body was there. If it's his body that's missing, then..."

The gravity of the situation sinks in, and the room turns even darker and more somber.

Grinal sits back down in his seat and takes out his phone, feeling the need to take action.

"Let me make a call."

He dials Sanjo's number and connects with him. Sanjo answers immediately.

Sanjo: Yes?

Grinal: Did you hear what happened in the morgue?

Sanjo: Hmm... I did. I am going there with my team right now.

Grinal: Can you check the bodies if there's anyone alive?

Sanjo: Alive? They are all dead.

Grinal: Please.

Sanjo: I mean, what's 'please' got to do with it? They're dead. Right?

Grinal: Please?

Sanjo: Oh...okay. I will check.

Both hang up the phone, and Grinal looks at Rohan, Frigha, and Aritsu with a sense of urgency. He takes a deep breath before speaking again,

"I am going to request you guys to not talk about this thing again. No one should know about Kaush outside of this wall. Or I might have to take extreme measures."

Rohan nods in agreement, "We won't say a word. But we're all just confused."

Grinal adds, "So am I, but we need to handle this discreetly and carefully."

Aritsu and Frigha nod in agreement, understanding the severity of the situation.

In the midst of uncertainty and danger, they all realize that the revelation of Kaush's existence could potentially lead to disastrous consequences. Their trust in each other is now more crucial than ever as they face a situation that could change the course of their lives and the zord organization forever.

At that time when Grinal was burning with tension, on the other hand, Ila and Kila are seen carrying a heavy sack into a dimly lit and secluded room.

Blood seeps through the edges of the sack, indicating something gruesome inside. With caution, they place the sack in the middle of two tables.

Together, they pull the sack away, revealing a young man with a remarkably handsome face, devoid of any marks or injuries.

It's not suspicious that he has a handsome face, the thing which is suspicious is he has no marks even after that huge explosion from the tube incident.

They healed on their own.

"I knew I could count on you guys," a voice resounds from behind them, startling Ila and Kila. They turn to see Takeshi standing there with a menacing stare.

Curiosity gets the better of Ila, who asks, "Who's this guy in the sack?"

Takeshi responds coldly, "You don't need to know. The President ordered me to bring this body here. I had a few companions, but somehow, they disappeared. I wonder if the tube blast had anything to do with it. But... we can't waste any more time. That's why I brought you two here. Ila and Kila, I know you twins can do anything for money. Just do this for me."

After the news reached Grinal, Takeshi knew that hiding all of this from the other zord members would be a difficult task. The President instructed him to keep the secret of the body unknown to others, and Takeshi was determined to fulfill that promise. However, all of his companions had disappeared, leaving him feeling isolated and vulnerable.

In need of assistance, Takeshi hired the twins, Ila and Kila, to help him clean up the evidence and handle the situation. He explained the severity of the matter and the need for discretion, while keeping his true intentions close to his chest.

As they enter the dark room with the sack containing the mysterious body, Takeshi's mind is racing with the weight of the situation. He knows that this mission could determine the fate of the zord organization and his own future.

Ila opens his mouth, "I have no idea how he is healing himself so fast. His healing power is at a president's level. Who is this guy? Also, I am surprised that someone was alive in that morgue."

Takeshi smiles, "He's one tough guy."

Ila agrees, "I know, right?"

Taking a moment to compose himself, Takeshi decides to confide in the twins, "Wait a second, let me clean the blood on the sack."

Kila is still unsure, "That's good and all, but what should we do with him?"

Ila looks around and signals Kila to come closer, "That's what I am thinking. Listen, we've already received our payment from Takeshi for this job. We just have to kill both of these guys right here. No one will ever know about them. End of the story. Why take more risks, right?"

Kila looks surprised, "Genius."

They both laugh out loud, feeling confident in their plan to eliminate any witnesses to Kaush's existence.

Takeshi shouts at him saying,"Hey, don't shou-"

Takeshi's words are cut off abruptly as a sudden sound of impact fills the air, followed by his collapse to the ground. Kila rushes to him, fearing the worst, "Takeshi... are you alright, dude?"

Ila pushes Kila back, trying to get a clear view of what happened, "Brother..."

Kila looks at Ila, "What happened?"

Ila points to the front with his finger. As Kila looks, they both hear a sweet yet terrifying melody echoing from the darkness.

A sweet yet terrifying...

"Hush-a-by baby on the tree top ~~ When the wind blows the cradle will rock."

Kila and Ila startle, their hearts pounding.

Kila gulps, "That sound wasn't me."

Ila confirms, "Me neither."

They both look back at the sack, but there is no one there. The unusual man seems to have vanished, yet the eerie melody persists.

"When the bough breaks ~~ the cradle will fall ~~ Down will come baby, cradle and all."

They both look back and discover a human figure standing before them. Recognition dawns upon them. It's the same person they brought from the morgue—Kaush.

Ila whispers, "Kaush... it's Kaush."

Kaush wipes the blood off his hand with an air of indifference, "Ah... I got revived after this huge timeskip."

He then creates a screen in mid-air, which only he can see.

"Welcome, Mr. Poker."

Kaush smiles, "I am online. By the way, why does this world feel so strange to me? Can you tell me?"

The artificial intelligence from the screen responds promptly, "It's a world after 10 years. You just awoke from a big nap."

Kaush tries to make a joke out of it, "So confusing. It's night, and I just woke up. I thought normally, people wake up in the morning."

AI: It's a metaphor, sir, and if you tried to make a joke with this, I have to say it was a bad attempt.

Kaush gets irritated and removes the screen from his face. "Whatever."

He then looks at Ila and Kila's faces and gives a creepy smile, which scares the twins. Kaush somehow leans against the wall.

Kaush: "I know you guys are confused. I just heard all of this, you guys were planning to kill me. Right? Let me give you guys a better deal. 'No' wouldn't be accepted."

The twins gulp, their fear growing even more palpable as they realize they are in a dangerous predicament. Kaush's ominous words leave them uncertain about their fate, and the unsettling atmosphere hangs heavy in the room.

At 11:30 pm, Grinal heads towards the president's room. As he approaches the door, he notices that the security outside has been doubled, which signals that higher-ups are arriving, possibly for an investigation.

On the way to the president's room, Grinal notices General Billan,

Even though Grinal has no issue with other generals in this base like Sanjo and Rohan, he just doesn't like Billan.

Billan smiles at him, "Mr. Grinal, how're you?"

Grinal forces a fake smile, "Yeah, I am fine. I have to leave actually. I will talk to you later. I've some urgent work with the president."

As Grinal tries to walk past Billan, the general stops him from behind.

"Hey, don't act like you're too busy to talk. There's something I want you to check on."

Grinal tries to ignore him, but he just can't. It's said that after the president, Billan is the strongest being in this base. And in terms of durability, he already surpasses that of president's. Angering him could cause problems for Grinal.

"What?"

Billan says blatantly, "I need some information about Rogue."

Grinal feigns ignorance, "Rogue? That team is disbanded, right?"

Billan is blunt, "Stop acting. I know the leader of the Rogue is still alive. He is held prisoner within this base."

Grinal glares at him, "What are you trying to prove? And do you know the consequences of using the names here?"

Billan clarifies, "If you think about punishment, then you will miss the big picture."

Grinal stays silent.

Billan continues, "Rogue was never disbanded. They are still active. I've found a few traces of them, and from my sources, I think they've illegally entered this base and are in disguise."

Grinal's mind races, "What... are you... wait, are you trying to say that the rogues had something to do with that incident?"

Billan: I am not sure, but it could be. And you don't need to believe me, but be cautious. I know you guys don't like me, but this is for your good. I am leaving this base right now because of an urgent mission.

Grinal stays silent.

Billan: don't let your guard down. I think something really bad is gonna happen soon. and don't forget to collect the information. I need all the documents related to the rogue. See you soon.

Grinal remains silent as Billan leaves, his mind filled with conflicting thoughts and the weight of the information he just received. The revelation that the rogues may be involved in the incident raises many questions and concerns, making the situation even more complex and unpredictable.

After that, Grinal enters the President office.

Grinal takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself, as he sits across from the President, who seems focused on his laptop and casually sipping tea.

The President addresses Grinal, "Grinal, higher-ups are coming to investigate the situation on their own. Help them do so."

Grinal feels a heavy weight on his shoulders. President always kept Kaush hidden from the entire world. Only Grinal knew about Kaush. The whole organisation had no idea.

In his mind, Grinal recalls the hidden deal between his father and the current President regarding Kaush.

President's father aka the former President had already given an order to kill Kaush in order to protect the organisation a long time ago. Even the current president agreed to that decision at first.

But when he came back from a certain mission, something changed within him. At that time, the president stopped his father from doing so. He promised that he won't let kaush come in front of the world.

That was the deal. President protected Kaush from the world, and also protected the Organization from Kaush's secret.

Grinal doesn't know what was the solution of that deal. But all he knew was that kaush was thrown inside the tube just like others.

But now, with Kaush resurrected and the stolen body adding to the complexity of the situation, Grinal wonders if the President had any involvement in this mess.

However, he knows he can't ask directly without risking his own safety.

Grinal unconsciously say it out loud, "no no i can't"

President : What? you can't? You can't help those higher ups?

Grinal : No , I didn't mean to say that. Something else was going inside my head actually. Sorry.

President: Hmm.

After responding to the grinal, the president continues to look into his laptop. Grinal looks at the president's face. There's no sign of emotion. Even after all these years, Grinal couldn't understand the president properly.

Grinal: Sir, i wanted to ask you something.

President doesn't take his eyes from the laptop and answers,"what?"

Grinal: Sir, what's Kaush to you?

The atmosphere in the room becomes tense as Grinal dares to question the President about Kaush and the recent incident.

Grinal continues to ask his question, "I am just confused. What was that deal that happened between you and your father?"

"Why? Why are you suddenly asking about this?" the President questions, his eyes briefly darting towards Grinal. There's a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Grinal takes a moment to choose his words carefully before responding, "I think you know about the recent incident that happened in room F5. Your brother was one of those subjects from that room."

The President remains composed as he replies, "Hmm, you don't have to worry about him. I have it under control."

Grinal's suspicion grows as he continues, "Under control means? Were you involved in that body stealing from the morgue?"

The President maintains his calm demeanor, "I have my ways of handling things. But you don't need to concern yourself with it."

Grinal's mind races, trying to decipher the President's intentions. He knows there's more to this situation than meets the eye.

All of a sudden, someone opens the door of the president's room.

2 guards enter the room with guns in their hands.

Grinal is taken aback, trying to comprehend the sudden intrusion. Before he can question them, a haunting melody fills the room, leaving everyone frozen in place.

""Hush-a-bye baby on the tree top ~~ When the wind blows the cradle will rock ~~ When the bough breaks the cradle will fall ~~ Down tumbles baby, cradle, and all.""

The tune doesn't come from the President, Grinal, or the guards; it emanates from another person who enters the room with a wide smile, dressed in a guard uniform.

President: "You-"

Grinal: Kaush.

The sight of corpses behind Kaush reveals his deadly handiwork. He alone has taken down all those guards, leaving everyone in the room shocked and bewildered.

Kaush smiles, "You guys are welcome. Poker is online."