FAUST 1997 - "First Blood" 9808.14 by Nytshaed. ©1998 Chaotic Works Inc. No part of the manuscript may be published, posted or reposted without explicit written permission by the Author. This story is of an Adult nature and is intended for persons over the age of 18.

In a former airplane hanger in southern Nevada, FAUST was onstage, but not before an audience. The tour was on hiatus for three weeks, so Swan had flown out to bring new material to the band. Even though the tour for the latest CD released 9 months ago was going spectacularly well by anyone's standards, FAUST was a juggernaut that never ceased. Since Nyt was now driving AJ's bus, she became driver for him and Jackie off tour as well. So she was allowed to sit in on the rehearsals.

Sitting on a stack of crates near the mixing board platform, she watched as the band ran through the new songs. AJ walked about the stage silently reading the sheet music. Nyt looked over as Jackie appeared at her side. He winked at her then looked towards the stage.

"How's it going?"

"Me or them?"

Jackie removed a toothpick from the corner of his mouth and pointed to the stage with it.
"Them."

Nyt shrugged.
"So far so good. They've just been playing the new stuff all day. AJ hasn't sung anything yet. Why? Expecting trouble?"

Jackie didn't respond right away, but kept watching the stage.
"Well, let's just leave it at that AJ got some bad news today." He said after a moment.

Nyt averted her eyes away from him, looking down at the floor lest her smirk give her away.
"What sort of bad news?" She pressed, seeing if Jackie would tell her what she all ready knew.

Jackie just shook his head.
"The less you know the better. He's already told you that about things."

"Right..." Nyt said, the smile still there. She had seen the FAX from a Death Records Rep come over that morning in the bus before anyone else had. Sophie and Stevie, AJ's nemesis had become parents the previous week. The birth announcement appearing in the Times Picayune the day before. Sophie now had a son that did not belong to AJ. , and this was the final curtain ringing down on a relationship doomed from the first time they had meet, 15 years ago. She had heard Sophie's end of that stormy romance for years, and knew the level of his obsession for her. He loved her enough to kill for her, and had. Now that this had happened, it was only a matter of time before he blew. Cutting him a wide path at this point would be a wise maneuver.

Swan leaned over to the microphone at the mixing board and flipped it on.
"AJ.... Why don't we run through the "TBA" number?"

"Because I don't fuckin' wanna." He retorted over the PA, his mutant New Yorker/Southern accent twanging though.

"Run through the number AJ." Swan repeated.

AJ sighed, tossing his head back, then glared out at Swan.
"How can I sing this new shit when this fucking band can't even play it right?" He said waving the hand holding the sheet music around, indicating the players onstage with him.

"It's not perfect yet AJ, but good enough for you to practice with."

"Practice this!" He said flipping Swan off and tossing the music onto the stage before walking off the stage. The song the band was playing slowly came to a un-harmonious end as one by one they stopped playing, and watched AJ toss his head back and stride off to the makeshift dressing room area.

"Keep playing!" Swan growled into the microphone in a menacing voice, and play resumed as he went to follow AJ.

When he arrived at the small trailer acting as the dressing room, the kit was already out of his duffel bag, and using his teeth and right hand, he had already tied the rubber surgical tube around his left bicep just above his elbow. Swan closed the door behind him, and sat down at the table, watching in silence.

"Doing this isn't going to change anything."

AJ did not reply, he kept his head down, and continued his work.

"She left you partly because if this nasty little habit you know. Once reason among many..."

AJ paused, and took a deep breath. He held it in for a long moment, then let it out before continuing. He was not going to let Swan bait him this time. He wasn't hearing anything he didn't already know. With the tube tied in place, he laid his arm on the table and pumped his fist a few times before removing one of the prepared syringes from the leather wallet. He paused just as the tip of the needle pressed against his skin, and looked up at Swan, the rims of his eyes were uncharacteristically red and moist.

"It's a Band-Aid for a old wound requiring a tourniquet, don't you think I know that. But fuck, I can't exactly kill myself on her behalf now can I?" He hissed, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It would have never worked out anyway AJ. You and I are already married to another..."

AJ looked down, not able to look at Swan any longer, the truth he spoke too ugly for even him to face now, and pressed the needle into his arm, depressing the plunger with his thumb. Swan watched as the cc's of pure heroin solution disappeared into his arm.

"If you stop now you will be still be able to do some work later tonight..." He noted.

AJ keep pushing.

"You might be able to work in a day or so..."

The plunger continued to move downward.

"..In three days or so..."

AJ continued until the full dose of 40 cc's had been administered, enough to fatally overdose 20 people, and pulled the needle out, tossing it onto the center table before looking defiantly over at Swan. He smiled, and leaned back in the chair folding his arms over his chest, and slowly closed his eyes. Swan looked at his watch and noted how long it took for him to go limp, his arms falling from his chest to hang loosely at his sides and slip into a coma. Swan stood and leaned over close to whisper in his ear, knowing his subconscious would still be awake.

"Forty seconds... Not your best time by a long shot... I'll see you next week, my dear. I need to send a telegram of congratulations to Sophie and Stevie. Perhaps a baby gift as well. Don't worry, I'll sign your name to the card..." He said turning leaving the room.

A moment later, Jackie entered the room, and slung AJ over his shoulder to carry him out the back door to the bus waiting outside. Inside the hanger, the band played on.

***

A week later, the band was again onstage in the hanger, fresh from a four day shore leave in Las Vegas. AJ sat on a stool in the center of the stage, his guitar on his lap and microphone in front of him. He looked down as he played. Only Jackie and Swan knew the true reason he had been away on Sabbatical. He was unusually quiet since returning and everyone took this as a good sign, everyone but those knowing better. He looked up and off to his right when Nyt offered him a bottle of water. He smiled as he placed his pick between his teeth, and opened the water. Then spitting the pick out, he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long sip watching her closely.

"You looked thirsty."

He nodded slowly, then stopped drinking.
"For many things..."

"I don't know what you did on your retreat, but you look... thinner. Not your usual buff self." She said loud enough for him to hear over the band's playing.

Suddenly he looked at her closer, confused by something he saw in her eyes. Concern, but that was not all. He had seen that look of concern directed at him before, from a different set of eyes. He squinted at her, trying to read her soul, but he was still too weak for such tricks. He looked away, back down at his guitar as he made minor adjustments in the tuning.

"Yeah, well, I'll let you fatten me back up, OK?"

Nyt nodded.
"Yeah, I'll do that." She smiled then left the stage. AJ looked up to watch her go, and tried to place the sensation nagging at him. Finally pushing it from his mind, he returned to playing.

Later that afternoon, he was up and playing along with the band. They were running through a new song he had written while away called "Tourniquet", and Harris the bass player couldn't seem to get the bridge part right. When he flubbed it yet again, AJ stopped playing and glared over at him.

"What the fuck is your problem? It goes like this" He said playing the part on the lower four strings of his guitar. Harris shrugged and they started again. This time he made it past the bridge, but the first chorus break hung him up. AJ stopped playing once again, and tossed his head back in disgust.

Swan watched from the mixer, and Jackie leaned over to whisper to Nyt sitting beside him on an empty Marshall case.
"Here we go.."

"If you can't play this stuff you might want to look for another band man... I need PERFECTION!!" AJ yelled as he took off his guitar, and with a growl threw it head first at the offending band member. Harris took a quick step backwards, narrowly avoiding the heavy missile as it stuck like a spear into one of his amps. Everyone else stopped playing and looked at Harris for his reaction. Only Swan and Nyt who were watching AJ noticed him glance up briefly at the lighting rig overhead and take a quick hop to the right. He then pointed at Harris, and yelled,

"Get it right or QUIT!!!" He yelled thunderously before turning his back on him and folding his arms over his chest. Suddenly there was a crack heard overhead and all but AJ looked up as a follow spotlight detached itself from the rigging and plummeted downward, striking Harris on the head and crushing his skull like an egg. Nyt screamed and covered her face, while AJ made an over exaggerated flinch, and slowly turned to look at the grisly scene. He looked at the twisted pile of metal and humanity and nodded slowly.

"Resignation accepted man."

He then shrugged, and walked to the front of the stage, hopping down and walked towards the mixer board. He hopped up onto it and sat down on a chair beside Swan.
"I think we need a new bass player. Harris just quit."

Swan glared at him.
"Obviously."

Jackie looked over at Nyt who was now staring at the stage in disbelief, her hand covering her mouth. She blinked slowly, recalling all Sophie had told her about AJ being able to make things "happen" when it suited him. Her pager going off on her belt startled her out of her daydream and she looked down. AJ, Swan and Jackie slowly looked over at her as the unmistakable sound echoed in the now silent hall. Nyt looked at the pager and the code it read.

"Oh shit. I gotta get outta here." She muttered to herself, and slid down off of the case. AJ languidly slid out of his chair, and jumped off of the platform. He started walking towards her and called out as she opened the door to leave.

"Dinner same tonight Hon?" He yelled.

Nyt stopped and looked back at him confused. Then she looked over at Jackie and back at AJ.
"I have the next two days off, I told Jackie that, and he said he would tell you."

AJ by now had reached her and smiled down at her wickedly.
"Plans? Really? So, now I am gonna starve while you go out to play on The Strip with WHOM?" He grinned folding his arms over his chest.

Nyt looked from him to Jackie.
"Why didn't you tell him I had plans? I told you this a week ago!"

Jackie shrugged.
"Slipped my mind I guess."

Nyt glared at him and then looked at AJ with a softer expression.
"AJ, I'm sorry. I told Jackie I had plans this weekend. He said he would handle everything and it was cool. I'm sorry, I have to go..."

AJ was transfixed as he listened to her, the last sentence echoing in his head. Again he was struck by the look in her eyes, and this time by a tone in her voice. He stood there for a long time just staring at her.

"Please?" She repeated, her eyes pleading with him.

"Yeah... go... Have fun." He said after a pause, still pondering what it was that he was sensing.

"Thanks AJ! You're the best!" She said, then in a moment of impulse, gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before running out of the hanger.

He stood there for a moment longer, then shook it off, this was something to deal with later, and looked over at Jackie, rasing his eyebrows.

"Well, what are you making for dinner tonight bro?"

Jackie smiled as he pulled out his cel phone.

"Reservations."

***