Charles Xavier had fallen out of his wheelchair and lay unconscious on the floor, blood running from his nose and eyes.
"Oh my God!" Sabere immediately rolled him onto his back and cautiously healed the broken capillaries. She had barely finished the job when Xavier pushed himself upright.
"Jean!" His eyes were unfocused, and at first Sabere though he had had a concussion or something. Then she realized that he must be in a trance, like what she had experienced – except she wasn't bleeding. Abruptly his eyes refocused and he gasped for breath, still whispering something about Jean Grey.
"Um…Professor?"
Xavier didn't move. "You saw it too."
"Well, I…don't know what it was. I had a vision, but I don't think it was as strong as yours."
"I don't remember mine." Xavier was still staring into space, but now his forehead was creased with worry. "I know Jean was there – but I don't remember what she told me." He looked down at his bloodstained clothing and used his handkerchief to clean off his face. Then his expression finally focused and he looked at her.
"What did you see?"
She told his what had happened, trying to remember if she had seen the woman's face or not.
"…and she said something about a Stryker –"
"Stryker?" Xavier now looked alarmed and angry. "Stryker's dead."
"That what Logan said." Now Sabere was frustrated. "Will someone please explain? I don't even know if that woman was Jean, never mind who Stryker is."
Xavier nodded, now looking only tired. "Help me back into my wheelchair and I'll tell you."
Her telekinetic skills were still not developed enough to do the job (even without a strengthening headache) so Sabere could only steady the wheelchair while the two of them managed to get the Professor back into his rightful and more dignified position. Sabere sat down in one of the other chairs, ready for whatever he would tell her.
"William Stryker," Xavier began, "hates mutants. He loved his son, Jason, more than his own life – until Jason became a mutant. Stryker wanted him to be 'cured,' but as I tried to explain to him, mutations cannot be 'cured.' So Stryker grew bitter; used his own son to control those who served him, and also to try to kill us all."
"How could he do that and keep it all under wraps?"
"It wouldn't have been under wraps – after the fact. He'd have a lot of lives to answer for. But it would be easier than you think – Cerebro. No, you don't know what that is either." He sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "I don't know why I didn't tell you everything at the start…anyway, Cerebro is a machine that I built which keeps me in contact with every mutant on Earth. Stryker set a trap, one I hadn't expected, and Jason's illusion-creating mutation nearly convinced me to wipe the planet clear of mutants – 'clean the gene pool,' as others would put it.
"Well, the same flood that took Jean also killed Stryker. So, I have no idea who this vision is referring to…but I have no doubt that the woman warning us was Jean."
Xavier frowned again. "Perhaps if I read your mind, I could discern the meaning of our visions, but it seems unlikely…"
"You're welcome to try. At least that way one of us will know what's going on."
So Xavier again raised his hands to enter her thoughts…
…and Sabere lost her psychic footing entirely. She was being pulled away in a wave, a flood of wild memories that were not her own…lost…drowning…
CHARLES!
Xavier searched through the sudden chaos in Sabere's mind, trying to sort out the memories from two – no, three – minds. Jean was shouting frantically, calling his name – but was it just a memory, or was it really her?
HERE, CHARLES –
And immediately the memories cleared. There was Jean, looking exactly as she had when he had last seen her. His heart broke at the sight of her, one of his first students, like a daughter to him –
=Don't talk, Charles, just listen. I have very little time. William Stryker's brother, Geoffrey, is planning - = He couldn't hear, she was fading, flickering in his vision =Go to Alkali!=
Xavier blinked, meeting Sabere's still frightened eyes.
"What was that about?"
Xavier smiled suddenly, for the first time in too long. "It means we know where Jean is! Go tell the others and have Scott get the jet ready."
"But isn't she –"
"Dead? It certainly doesn't seem like it. I think there's more that need to be discovered, and not much time in which to discover it."
Sabere turned to leave, but then felt something that made her stop in the doorway. Xavier's anxious – worried about Jean, and his students…somebody named Moira? She could help us? And Stryker? Why isn't he dead?
"Sabere, what are you doing?" Xavier's sharp voice penetrated her confused thoughts.
She's in my mind…what in the world, she doesn't have telepathy…
Professor, what's going on…
"Sabere!"
Suddenly there was silence – and privacy. Xavier sighed deeply. "Well, that was unexpected. It looks like Jean left some of her own telepathic powers in you. They'll only be temporary, but I've had to set up a barrier to keep your thoughts isolated from others, since now we don't have enough time to train you. You'll be able to breach the barriers if you need to, but I suggest you avoid it."
Sabere nodded dumbly, trying to get over the bizarre sensation of having what felt like a brick wall around her mind. Remembering what Xavier had asked her to do, she jogged away to find Scott.