FATAL ATTRACTIONS (part 1, 1993)

If there's one bad guy the X-Men should face during their 30th anniversary event, it's the one they fought when they first appeared. But wasn't he a member of the X-Men at one point? And isn't he also dead?

Less-than-subtle clues had been dangled in the X-books for months. The government had finally tracked down the remains of Asteroid M after it crashed to Earth (how they didn't find it earlier, I don't know) but Magneto's body was conspicuously absent. Despite that, ponytail-wearing dick Fabian Cortez was up on points with the Upstarts for killing the Master of Magnetism, while telling his ever-expanding Acolytes that he's tried to save Magneto.

Then, Professor X was rescued in Antarctica during an attack by Siena Blaze by a caped man of mystery. And Wolverine's trip to the Savage Land revealed more hints the baddest of mutants was back...

Get the full story (essential chapter in bold):
[part 1 - X-Factor]
[part 2 - X-Force]
[part 3 - X-Force]
[part 4 to follow]
[part 5 - Uncanny X-Men]
[part 6 to follow]
[part 7 to follow]
[part 8 - Wolverine, X-Men]
[part 9 - Excalibur]

The Acolytes attack a hospital for dying humans on behalf of their leader, Fabian Cortez, drawing the attention of the government-sponsored mutant group X-Factor and their liaison Dr Valerie Cooper (who's been behaving a little erratically, lately). The violence picks up when they angrily interview the only captive Acolyte, Spoor, who falls prostrate at Quicksilver's feet. After all, he is the son of their hero, Magneto.

Val takes Quicksilver and the hired gun Random to to investigate the Acolytes next intended target, the military base Camp Hayden, which only makes the rest of X-Factor suspicious. After briefly running into a mysterious red-skinned mutant who flies about a bit and does little else (which sums up pretty much every appearance that follows), they arrive at Camp Hayden and learn the government has been building Sentinels - merging the original designs with the futuristic Nimrod Sentinel.

The Acolytes bust in, giving Senator Robert Kelly the chance to take all those dirty mutants out in one go by destroying the base until Wolfsbane saves his worthless life. The two teams battle it out and things get violent as Multiple Man kills Seamus Mellencamp to stop him gouging out his eyes by making a dupe appear inside him and Havok tries to cook Sven Kleinstock's head.

Amelia Voght teleports the Acolytes away when Cortez is done planting evil seeds in Quicksilver's head regarding his destiny. Val coughs up the thing that's been controlling her all this time, but she still knew about the Sentinels and didn't tell X-Factor. Trust in their liaison and friend is now dead...

Reading Order:
X-Factor #92

Fallout:

X-Force #20 (1993) Dr Valerie Cooper next appears during ASSAULT ON GRAYMALKIN.
X-Force #24 (1993) The mystery mutant next appears during FATAL ATTRACTIONS / ASSAULT ON GRAYMALKIN.
X-Force #25 (1993) The mystery mutant is named Exodus during FATAL ATTRACTIONS / ASSAULT ON GRAYMALKIN.
X-Factor #93 (1993) Havok, Multiple Man, Quicksilver, Wolfsbane, Polaris and Strong Guy next appear.
Uncanny X-Men #304 (1993) Fabian Cortez, Sven Kleinstock, Amelia Voght, Joanna Cargill, Isaac Javitz, Kath Katu, Harlan Kleinstock, Scanner, Suvik Senyaka and Carmella Unuscione next appear during FATAL ATTRACTIONS.
Uncanny X-Men #305 (1993) Senator Robert Kelly next appears during FATAL ATTRACTIONS.
X-Factor #94 (1993) Random next appears; Quicksilver and Valerie Cooper leave X-Factor; Forge officially replaces Val as X-Factor's government liaison; Random begins a period of service as an unofficial ally of X-Factor.
Excalibur #71 (1993) Spoor next appears during FATAL ATTRACTIONS.
Avengers #368 (1993) Fabian Cortez kidnaps Quicksilver's daughter, Luna, during BLOODTIES.
X-Factor #100 (1994) Multiple Man dies after it's confirmed that he's contracted the Legacy Virus.
X-Force #35-26 (1994) X-Force shut down a secondary arm of the government's Project: Wideawake Sentinels.
X-Factor #105 (1994) The real Multiple Man makes a cameo appearance, confirming that the one who had the Legacy Virus was a dupe.
X-Factor #118 (1996) Random betrays X-Factor to the Dark Beast.
X-Force #52 (1996) Onslaught steals the Sentinels from the Camp Hayden Project: Wideawake facility during FALLEN FROM GRACE.
Cable #32 (1996) Cable and Domino investigate Camp Hayden to learn more about Onslaught during THE ROAD TO ONSLAUGHT.
X-Factor #125 (1996) Onslaught unleashes the Project: Wideawake Sentinels during ONSLAUGHT.
Quicksilver #8 (1998) Random becomes an unofficial member of the Acolytes.
Heroes For Hire #16 (1998) Seamus Mellencamp next appears; Mellencamp is revealed to have survived being ripped to pieces (with no explanation) during THE SIEGE OF WUNDAGORE.
X-Men #108 (2001) Robert Kelly renounces his anti-mutant stance, just before he's assassinated by a mutant during DREAM'S END.
House of M #7 (2005) Quicksilver follows in his father's footsteps by using his sister's powers to alter reality, turning the world into a mutant paradise during HOUSE OF M.