Chapter 3: Not Technically a Tower.

Jericho stood slack-jawed, his gaze riveted on the edifice that was to be their new home. It wasn't a Tower, it was a large hill. The mound was large, but flattened near the top, where several small trees grew. Near the base of the hill was a large door, big enough for a man to walk through comfortably. A little way along was a double door, built into the hill as well, with a gravel road leading up to it. Several windows had been installed at various points on the hill.

"You like it?" Asked Herald, knowing full well what his answer would be. "I got the idea from Lord of the Rings. Most of it's actually underground, but all the bedrooms are in the hill, so they get some light. Well, except Argent's. She's put heavy curtains over her windows. Some days I swear she's just a wannabe Raven."

Jericho had to smile at this, and shook himself out of his reverie. It was beginning to look like he had made the right choice after all.

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Jericho was having doubts. As he unpacked his few possessions, placing his guitar stand by the window, a couple of books on the shelf, and sets of his uniform in the spacious cupboard, he had a horrible feeling that this was not going to last. He knew how the Titans worked. There was the main group. There were the satellite groups, three of them now, in the wake of the Brotherhood Crisis, as it had become known. And there were the Titans that would never join a group. Wildebeest. Jinx. Kid Flash. Gnnark. Kole. Bushido. Red Star (although the reasons why he qualified as a member were unclear to Jericho. The man had to be at least in his thirties). And Jericho. All these Titans functioned solo, or in groups of two. Self reliant. Alone. That was how he functioned. But Jericho knew that wasn't right. Despite his disability, he was a very social person, and his time alone had been torturous. But there was a reason for his solitude; oh there was a reason alright. Heaven help him if anyone found out…

And that was why he kept his distance. Eventually someone would do some digging, and it would all be over.

A sharp rapping on his door brought him back to reality.

"Hey, it's me. Can I come in?" Herald. Jericho wondered what he wanted, before knocking twice on his door in reply.

He waited for a few seconds, then opened the door.

"Oh! Sorry man, I thought two knocks meant 'no'." Herald grinned sheepishly and stepped into the room.

Jericho rolled his eyes. He really didn't like the knock system; it made him feel like he was a ghost at a séance, but they hadn't come up with a better system yet.

Yes? You want something?

"We're having a training session in five minutes. You do remember where the Training Room is, right?

Yes. I only took the Grand Tour fifteen minutes ago. Jericho grinned at the memory of being dragged around his new home by Herald, who looked like a five year old at Christmas time.

"Cool. Shall we go, then?"

Alright.

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"Alright, guys, we'll start by pairing off against each other. I'll fight Hot Spot, Jericho can fight Killowat, and Argent will fight whoever wins first." Herald smiled as his team followed his orders dutifully. It was good to be the boss.

Killowat stood with his arms raised out in front of him, facing Jericho straight on. Jericho sighed. That had to be one of the stupidest battle stances he had ever seen. The guy looked like a preacher or something.

"Alright, gents, ready, set, GO!" Argent stood back to let the battle commence. It was a good thing too, as the spot she had previously occupied was suddenly incinerated by a whiplash of flame. As the column of heat flew towards him, Herald merely smirked, pulled out his horn, twirled it like a gunfighter, and loosed a blast, warping the flame to another dimension. Hot Spot looked annoyed at this, and tried another one, only for Herald to disappear into another hole of his. Hot Spot looked around, nonplussed, but failed to check behind him, and got a boot to the back of the head for this error.

Argent grinned at this, and turned to the other pair. Except she couldn't see Jericho anywhere. She frowned at this, until she noticed one important detail.

Killowat was punching himself in the face. Hard.

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"You did pretty good there, guys." Herald smiled at his team, especially Jericho, who had gone undefeated. There had been a moment of consternation for him, when Hot Spot had figured out how his powers worked, and covered his eyes. Unfortunately, this meant that he couldn't see, and Jericho had found it most amusing to watch Hot Spot flail blindly with one hand, before his unguided fist had made contact. With the wall.

"Speak for yourself. I never knew I could dislocate my own jaw before."

"Oh, stop exaggerating, Kil'. You're just whiny 'cause you lost."

"Oh yeah? Well, I didn't see you fare any better, fire boy!"

"Well, at least I'm not complaining, ya walking spark plug!"

"Shut up!!" Herald held the floor. "Alright, let's try some unarmed and powerless combat." Who wants to volunteer for a demonstration?"

I'll do it.

"Alright, man, get into position."

However, their training session was interrupted by a klaxon's roar.

"Well, guys, looks like a spot of on the job training's on the cards today. Titans, GO!"