PROLOGUE
As always, the sheer number of minds that Charles Xavier could touch in the Cerebro terrified him and thrilled him.
There were just so many.
So many more mutants than there used to be, and not enough time to find them all. All those lost souls, afraid of their powers, afraid of themselves. In this machine, his abilities could touch the entire world, and sometimes the feedback was overwhelming.
He had learned to divide everything into sections, and skim through those one at a time. Initially he went through Upstate New York, while ignoring the explosion of red that was his school. Manhattan had more mutants than almost everywhere else, but he was certain that this was only because of the greater population.
His mind moved down the state and—
He opened his eyes.
There was a spot where his mind couldn't touch in the Long Island Area. It was a blank slate, a piece of the world that had dropped out of existence—no humans or mutants.
That was new. Was it possible that Erik had—?
No. This was beyond any mutant ability. He pulled off the helmet; his session was done for the day.
Long Island, New York.
He intended to remember that location.