A/N: Alright here it is the first installment of the sequel be sure to send me your ideas for future chapters and what you would like to see. Thanks

The Lord of the Mutants II

Chapter 1

Darkness and Fear

"Where are we!?" Nightcrawler's voice came from the dense darkness covered everything before them.

"Who knows" Cyclops yelled from nearby his visor glowing slightly in the dark "Kurt is anyone else here? Jean!? Ororo?" his words echoed in the darkness.

"Scott!?" Jean's voice pierced the darkness she let out a little of her telekinetic power immediately around herself, revealing Storm, by her side.

"Put out that light!" another voice came from the veil of darkness. Jean immediately ceased using her power. Cyclops focused on the source of the command. A sudden small light came as Wolverine ignited one of his cigars with his lighter, revealing his position and Jubilee beside him, Almost as quickly he doused the flame.

"We're all here Scotty-boy," he said grimly "You, me, the elf, 'Ro, Jeanie, Jubilee, I can smell you all. But there are other scents in this hole we're in, something fouler and we don't want them to know that we're here."

"What is it Logan?" Jean said, "Do you know what happened? Do you know where we are?"

"Not a clue," Wolverine responded "But I suspect that it has to do with last weeks houseguests."

"The Fellowship!" Nightcrawler gasped "How do you know?"

"Because I can smell orcs." Wolverine growled. "A whole lot of orcs."

"Vas?" Nightcrawler jumped "You mean those creatures that we fought in the Mansion!"

"Yup," Wolverine's voice came from the dark "Jeanie can you sense them." they suddenly heard Jean gasp as she began to do a psychic scan of the area.

"Jean!?" Cyclops said concerned "Are you alright?"

"L…Logan's right" she managed "there are so many and something else almost like a psychic echo I'm not sure what it is."

"What do we do?" Jubilee said

"The only thing that we can child," Storm replied "we must face the dark of this dreadful place."

"We have to find Cable." Cyclops said "It's his fault that we're here…where ever that is."

"Well we are going to need light." Storm continued "We will worry about Cable when we are safe."

"Fine," Wolverine conceded "I don't like it but 'Ro's right we need to find a way out, Jeanie why don't you use your power to make a little light but not much."

Jean's telekinetic power suddenly manifested itself and they could see that they were in the middle of an enormous hall, with many geometric pillars supporting an unseen roof above them.

"Whoa," Jubilee gasped taking in the sight.

"Look!" Nightcrawler said suddenly baffing away then returning holding a discarded torch "We could use this! Instead of Jean's light; if what Logan says about the orcs is true then we will all need to conserve our strength"

"Good idea," Cyclops said taking the torch and moving toward Wolverine to have the mutant light it with his lighter. The mutant went over in his mind what had happened only a few moments before they had been standing in front of X-mansion seeing Cable off, who had stayed with them the week following the departure of the Fellowship of the Ring. Cable tried to body slide to his destination but instead there was and explosion of white light and then this stifling darkness. Cable wasn't with them and now Cyclops had no idea where they were. Wolverine's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Wait a second," Wolverine said suddenly sniffing the torch. "There's a scent I recognize on this torch."

"What one of the orcs you fought at the mansion?" Jubilee said sarcastically.

"Nope," Wolverine replied "Aragorn," all eyes went to the mutant as he lit the torch. "Hold this darlin" he said handing the torch to Jubilee and crouched down on the ground and began to sniff. "It's no good I can't get a scent to follow everything smells…burnt"

"Maybe I could do something," Jean said, "I could use my telepathy to see if that thing I felt early truly was a psychic echo or imprint left behind from the Fellowship. Gandalf was powerful enough that if he was under great distress he could have left a trace."

"You can do that?" Jubilee asked

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I couldn't," Jean said

"Kay, Geez ya don't need to get smart about it," Jubilee replied

"Will you be alright?" Cyclops asked taking Jean's hand.

"Yes," Jean responded "I think so," as Jean concentrated with her mind, the light of the torch faded she suddenly caught hold of the very imprint she had been searching for. Her mind focused on it and she suddenly found herself surrounded by light when it cleared, then there was only darkness. A small light suddenly appeared, She could see it came from Gandalf's staff, the entire Fellowship was with him. She saw orcs scattering in every direction and a strange red glow coming from down the hallway. Gandalf yelled something and the Fellowship began to run. Jean saw them go through a massive archway and disappear. She began to follow but found that she couldn't, fear gripped her as she turned to see a monstrous creature of flame and darkness barreling toward her. Jean tried to run but her feet felt like lead weights. The monster was just on top of her when Cyclops' voice brought her out of the trance.

"JEAN!" he yelled holding her head from the ground. "Jean are you alright."

"Scott!" she gasped terrified gripping his arm almost digging into his skin with her nails. She finally buried her face into him.

"What did you see?" he said.

"We… We have to get out of here now!" She replied finally, pointing towards the archway that the Fellowship had passed through. "That way."

"Good," Nightcrawler said "I have a bad feeling about this place." the team gathered closely and began make their way toward the path Jean had indicated when they were suddenly stopped by Wolverine.

"Did any of you hear that?" he asked

"Hear what?" Storm asked

"It sounded like drums…" Wolverine continued trailing off. Everyone paused and listened, the darkness that seemed to absorb the very torchlight seemed to consume sound as well. Then they suddenly heard it… The beating of drums in the dark, not far from where they were at. They could hear things begin to stir in the blackness.

"I think that they know that we're here." Nightcrawler said as the drums began to grow louder.

"Run!" Cyclops hollered pausing only briefly to fire a beam into the air, filling it with light for one brief moment confirming their fears. Orcs were streaming out of the wood work. The X-men ran through the archway, Nightcrawler who was in the lead toppled unwittingly off the edge of an enormous stairway Jubilee screamed but even as the sound escaped her mouth the mutant appeared next to her in a poof of smoke.

"Look!" Nightcrawler said "We cannot go this way a huge portion of the stairway has collapsed!"

"Well we can't go back!" Cyclops said turning to the great hall which they had exited. The orcs were closing in. The mutant leader quickly fired a beam into the group of orcs pursuing them. Causing the others to leap back in astonishment.

"Well certain death behind us." Wolverine said approaching the edge of the stairway looking over the vast expanse between them and the other stairs. "death in front of us. Things are shaping up to be a regular day at the office."

"I'll give us time." Jean said as she threw a telekinetic force field over the archway preventing the oncoming orcs from entering. The moment she did she again felt the psychic echo that had been left. This time it was more forceful and clearer…

"Do as your told!" Gandalf hollered at Aragorn pushing him slightly "Swords are no use here!"

Jean saw as the Fellowship crossed the bridge and how Aragorn and Frodo narrowly avoided falling of a toppling piece of stairway.

"Jean!" Cyclops yelled snapping her back to the present. Her barrier just about to collapse, the telepath reasserted her control. "The Fellowship came this way," she managed, Cyclops took her hand to add his support then turned to Storm "Can you fly somebody to the other side?"

"I do not know," she replied "There is almost no wind here to carry me let alone two people. I can try."

"Carry Jubilee," Wolverine said "Then the elf will take Cyclops and Jean."

"What about you?" Jubilee asked.

"I'm going to jump it." the other mutant responded throwing his cigar off the edge, watching it disappear.

"You're wha…" Jubilee tried to gasp but Wolverine was already flying through the air before she could finish her sentence which turned into a scream as he fell short of the edge. Claws suddenly came out and stabbed into the wall slowing his decent until he finally came to a halt. They watched in awe as he began to climb up toward the other edge.

"That idiot!" Cyclops said then turned to Storm, "You're turn, take Jubilee with you. Nightcrawler I want you to be ready to catch them in case they fall." the orcs were pounding frantically on the telekinetic shield causing Jean to flinch in pain ever-so-slightly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Hurry!" Cyclops yelled

Storm took the young mutant by the hands and summoned what little wind there was in the chasm. To her surprise there was more than she thought as it lifted her and Jubilee off the ground and toward other stairway.

"Storm," Jubilee yelled "Whatever you do…don't look down."

"Believe me child!" the older mutant responded "I will do my best to get us to the other side."

"Watch out!" Wolverine's voice came from below, Storm looked just in time to avoid getting hit by an arrow from above from the far end of the cavern. Several orcs were hiding among the pillars. The effort of avoiding the arrow however took her concentration off the winds and they began to plummet downward, Jubilee screeched but their decent was suddenly halted as the winds came up again and they made it safely to the other side where Wolverine was waiting.

"Good!" Cyclops cheered as he fired his optic blasts toward the orcs who were continuing to shoot arrows at them. "Nightcrawler! Take Jean to the other side! I'll hold them off until you come back."

"but Scott!" Jean protested.

"Do it!" Cyclops yelled, before she could protest Nightcrawler latched onto the mutant and took her to the other side. Cyclops fired into the archway the moment Jean's shield came down. No sooner had he done so than Nightcrawler appeared and took him to the other side. Upon arriving at the other staircase he spotted a bridge which was partially collapsed. The other X-men had already guessed that it was the direction they were supposed to go and they began to hurtle themselves down the stairs to reach it. They arrived at the bottom of the stairs only to find a large group of orcs waiting for them.

"Great!" Wolverine said thundering toward the unfortunate orcs who didn't know what they had gotten themselves into "This must be the welcoming committee!" his claws making a familiar snikt sound as he lunged into the orcs. Cyclops fired at the group of orcs behind them on the other stairway before they could begin to shoot at them. Soon all the X-men found themselves engaging the orcs. Cyclops arriving to the battle last saw Nightcrawler receive a heavy blow to the head from an orcish shield, an optic blast knocked the orc to the other side of the room, before it could injure the mutant more. The orcs soon scattered seeing themselves out matched. Jubilee went to Nightcrawler.

"We have to stop!" She said "he's unconscious!"

"Nothin' doing" Wolverine said picking up the other mutant and slinging him over his shoulders. "the elf has survived worse and we have to go before those orcs come back in larger numbers."

Jean sighed heavily with her shoulders slumped it was obvious that she was strained as it was, and trying to keep up with the others only made it worse.

"Jean…" Cyclops tried but was stopped as an arrow sliced through the air between them. "I'll help you." he finally said putting her arm around his shoulder. As they turned the corner they saw the bridge coming into view. Wolverine was standing in front of it looking ready to fight any orcs that came. Jean's eyes suddenly went from her mutant comrade to the collapsed section of the bridge. Once again the imprint took hold of her reality…

"You shall not Pass!" Gandalf bellowed to the creature that stood at the foot of the bridge. The wizards staff slammed the bridge and Jean watched with the same awe that the Fellowship wore as the monster stepped onto the path that crumbled and caved with it's first foot step. The beast plummeted downward with the wizard standing at the edge of the gap triumphant. Jean cheered to herself but was brought back by a shriek from Jubilee.

Another group of orcs came and began attacking them in front of the bridge, determined not to let another group of intruders free. Before they could reach them however the telekinetic mutant threw up another wall.

"Jean what are you doing!" Cyclops demanded "You've put too much strain on yourself already!"

"We have to hurry," she muttered looking around and realizing that they had no way to cross the gap in the bridge. With Nightcrawler unconscious and Storm unable to fly effectively she could see only one alternative. "I will complete the bridge."

"You'll what!?" Cyclops said but then saw Jean's telekinetic energy glide across the gap until the bridge was complete.

"Hurry!" She cringed from the exertion. "I can't keep both the wall and the bridge up for much longer."

"Jean…"Cyclops started but saw that it was the only way. "Jubilee, Storm, Wolverine! Across the bridge." he ordered taking Nightcrawler in his arms as the other mutants scurried across the makeshift path.

"Okay, Jean" Cyclops said, "Now you."

"No," She argued fighting hard to concentrate on keeping control, "You first."

"No…Jean!" he tried to argue but saw that the strain was going to over take her and that if he didn't comply she would waste her energy continuing the discussion. "I want you right behind me."

Jean followed directly behind her husband. All the while facing the increasing number of orcs who were gathered in front of the wall, poking and prodding, and bashing it. Cyclops reached the stone part of the bridge still carrying Nightcrawler. Jean followed but then gasped as her first foot hit the stone of the bridge... She suddenly saw Gandalf being pulled into the abyss by a fiery whip. The wizard clung to the edge as Frodo tried frantically to come to his aid. The wizard looked downward.

"Fly you fools," he muttered then let himself fall.

Frodo's scream became Jean's as the strain of the vision destroyed her telekinetic wall and bridge and she began to plummet downward. In the last instant she managed to take hold of something…an outstretched hand.

"Jeanie!" Wolverine yelled his entire body almost hanging off the edge "I got you!" the mutant tried to reach out his other hand but began to slide both Jubilee and Storm barely caught his legs in time.

"Logan!" Jean yelled barely holding on to his hand.

"Jean!" he yelled "Give me your other hand!" just as she was about to take the other outstretched hand. Wolverine howled in pain and nearly lost his grip as an arrow pierced his side. "Take my hand!" he grimaced as yet another arrow hit him. This time in the shoulder.

"Jean! Hurry!" Cyclops yelled holding Nightcrawler. "I can't fire with him in my arms you have to hurry!"

The telepath looked to the orcs who were preparing to fire again, then into the eyes of Wolverine and Cyclops. Neither of them missed the expression on her face.

"JEAN! DON'T!" Wolverine yelled in vain as she released her hold on his hand and began to descend downward. The walls echoed with the screams of four X-men as she was consumed into the darkness.