Shadow's Hand-Chapter 9: Fury of a TI

Droplets of sweat began to form on Eugene's forehead when he realized his detective didn't insult the Ninth Order.

But rather the Seventh Order— someone who could easily overturn their entire Skyler Division with a few simple words.

"What are you still standing there for, Detective Burke?" Eugene turned to Burke and raised his voice.

"Apologize for your behavior and seek forgiveness!" He then demanded.

Burke, who didn't anticipate the Ninth Order's newbie work to be a command from the Seventh Order, was stupefied. After having been scolded by his supervisor, he snapped out of his daze and swiftly stepped forward.

He bowed and apologized solemnly. "It was my mistake, Seventh Order. I didn't have any intention of disrespecting your decision and work."

"I'm not the person you made the unsightly remark." Damien didn't even bat an eyelid on him.

Nodding in understanding, Burke turned his attention to Jasmine and apologized once again.

Deep down though, Burke felt ashamed and angered by the humiliation he received today.

All he did was speak up to defend the honor and integrity of their station. Even Eugene had agreed with his remarks— until Damien decided to step in.

'Are TIs really that great?' Burke cursed silently. He was positive that Damien only spoke up to defend his junior's mistake. He refused to believe such a command could be made by someone in the Seventh Order.

In hindsight, Burke was disgruntled that the TIs got to defend each other by demeaning others, but their division wasn't allowed to.

Jasmine was caught in an awkward position when Burke went to apologize to her.

She was unsure of whether to accept the apology or not. After all, Damien clearly appeared to be quite displeased with Burke.

Such a feeling was commonly known as being "sandwiched".

If she accepted the apology, then her superior, Damien, might be dissatisfied with her. However, if she refused the apology, then the tension between the TI and officers would rise due to her.

'Why do I feel jealous of Lucas right now?' Jasmine wanted nothing more than to have someone pull her out of such a sticky situation.

Despite her desperate prayer, there was no such thing in this world. She was stuck completely, and Damien also lost interest in her decision.

The truth was that Damien was willing to let the matter go if Jasmine simply accepted the apology. After all, he didn't want the matter to fester either, considering he was still unsure of his identity.

But thanks to Jasmine's hesitation, Damien mistakenly believed that she was too embarrassed and ashamed to respond.

'Who told me to give her such a command to protect my secret? If I don't take Burke down a notch, then my identity will be suspected.' Damien sighed inwardly and turned to Burke.

"A detective who doesn't know the rules isn't suited to be at a crime scene—or any in the future. I'm sure Sergeant Eugene would agree with that statement, wouldn't he?" He declared solemnly.

Sergeant Eugene was a name he had caught during the introduction between himself and Jasmine, even though his attention had been drawn to the Diamond 3. It wasn't intentional, but his superior hearing had picked it up nonetheless.

Eugene pursed his lips before shaking his head in defeat.

When Burke noticed that kind of reaction, his expression turned rather pale.

Sure enough, Eugene announced with a determined tone. "Detective Burke tarnished the reputation of a TI with his remarks and shall thus be demoted to a common uniformed officer. He is also barred from being at any crime scene in the future."

"Sergeant Eugene?" Shouted Burke in disbelief. "How could you just punish me like that?"

Besides Burke, even the nearby detectives were stupefied by the harsh punishment. It was totally unwarranted. Despite this, none dared to physically voice their complaint.

After all, they knew Eugene didn't make the decision on his own will, but in the will of a Seventh Order.

This was the fury of a TI. A fury capable of destroying one man's career with a simple statement.

"I refuse to accept this punishment." Argued Burke when he noticed no one had spoken up on his behalf. He couldn't believe his colleagues would turn a blind eye completely.

When his eyes gazed at them, they would all avoid it and pretend to look elsewhere.

"Are you still going to waste more of my time Sergeant Eugene?" Damien raised his voice, his tone slightly dark. "When did a uniformed officer become qualified to be involved in the investigation? Or was this your Skyler Division specialty?"

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"My apologies." Eugene swiftly excused his inefficiency and turned to two other detectives.

"Detective Gerald and Detective Sheila, escort the intruded uniform officer away from the crime scene." He ordered solemnly.

Both Gerald and Sheila glanced at each other briefly before nodding. In a swift manner, they easily detained Burke, who could barely resist after receiving such a shock.

A few seconds later, Burke was effectively barred from the crime scene. His demotion, as well as his offense in slighting a Seventh Order TI, was rapidly spread across.

It didn't take very long for Burke's plight to be well known. Despite still being a uniform officer, it was clear that he was maligned and isolated by fellow uniform officers.

Frustrated and feeling humiliated, Burke clenched his fist.

"TIs are just a bunch of bullies." As he spoke of such a statement while exiting the perimeter, Burke never anticipated his words had been overheard by someone. Someone whom Burke would have never thought to see outside the crime scene perimeter.

"I've just received news that my superior punished an unruly detective, but I didn't expect the unruly detective to have zero remorse. They even continued to speak badly of us TIs."

Startled, Burke got goosebumps all over his arms when he felt a sense of deja vu.

Sure enough, when Burke realized who had just spoken, his eyes turned hazy from the familiar clothes. The clothes resembled none other than the TIs he just spoke badly about.

Indeed, the person Burke saw was precisely Lucas, who had been ordered to remain outside to wait for Kyle.

Lucas was already bored out of his mind, so having encountered such a pest, his lips instantly curled upward.

"You know... I was punished by my superior, the Seventh, as well. But I never dared to speak ill of him—not even in my thoughts. Do you know why was that" Lucas asked as he approached Burke.

Before waiting for a response, Lucas continued, his hand conjuring a glowing magic spell. "That's because he's a Seventh Order—and my superior. A person who has proven himself worthy and capable of such an act."

"Nooooo!" Burke screamed in terror, spinning around to flee.

But without any Transcendent power, Burke was nothing more than an ant in Lucas's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Burke's very existence vanished—gone from the scene, Velgrave, and perhaps this world entirely.

Coachman Karl and the nearby uniformed officers didn't so much as flinch, paying no heed to the spectacle.