INFERNAL WORLD » kyle GAZ garrick

8 - how IBANEZ got her name

Before Elena knew it, she was walking down the base in search of Gaz. A few hours had passed since her successful poker game, which had lasted no more than an hour since Grimes and the rest of them had seriously underestimated her. And playing along the character of I have very little clue what I'm doing, Elena had fifty British pounds and gave half of that to Gaz.

But now she wasn't thinking about how that money would be spent. She was wondering what exactly was making her walk around late in the evening trying to find the sergeant.

''Does anyone know where Gaz from 141 is?'' she had asked twice, hearing what she needed to on the second try.

Gaz, apparently, was in the training rooms. Elena wasn't a stranger to late-night gym workouts either. When she reached the gym and looked inside through the giant glass doors, she wondered whether Gaz would think she was strange for practically bursting in the middle of his workout to talk to him. Elena brushed those feelings aside before she could change her mind.

Elena's walk had confidence, as she marched down the gym before realizing that she probably should have changed her shoes. It was too late now and she hoped that no one superior would shout at her.

''What are you doing here?'' Gaz, confused eyebrows and a surprised gaze asked, looking at her before taking his headphones off.

''Hey, how's the workout?'' Elena smiled, placing one hand on the machine. Gaz had been training his arms on the bicep curl machine. It was one of Elena's favorites as well.

''Good,'' Gaz grinned. ''you want to join?''

''No, no,'' Elena shook her head. ''I... would you like to know how I got my name? Ibanez...''

A spark enlighted in Gaz's brown eyes and Elena had to collect herself and start the story before her eyes would begin staring at Gaz's quite sweaty body covered by the tight t-shirt he had chosen to wear.

''Would I- I've been DYING to know!'' Gaz grinned even wider, chuckling, and resting more comfortably in the machine so he could listen. Elena smiled before starting the story.

''Okay, so you already guessed when we first met that Ibanez is also the guitar brand and you know that's somehow connected with my name... Well, it was very late 2019, actually- wow- means I've worked with Laswell for three years and not two- anyway... In late 2019, I joined the CIA. It was my first night as an agent and Laswell's team was on a mission to capture this massive drug dealer,''

''Cool,'' Gaz smiled, placing his arm comfortably on the machine so he could rest his chin on it.

''It- I was excited... ahh, so- so it was a complete surprise that we'd have a chance to catch him and his team at a nearby venue. It was full of new bands trying to make it. It was sort of a metal pub of a place and well, I knew my way around those well-''

''Wait, you listen to metal?''

''Surprises most people, I know,'' Elena smiled, trying to shift her focus away from Gaz's adorable smile. She pushed her thoughts away, those who had just called Gaz's smile adorable in her mind.

''So yeah... I, with my total charm, squeezed my way into a weird band whose guitar player had already had too many whiskeys and beers, I mean, never drink something hard and then water it down with a light beer... again, anyway-'' Elena chuckled. ''I told Kate that I'd have a chance to actually play with the band and then... imagine because I know how these things work, at that bar, the best band usually gets invited backstage- well, downstairs, to do drugs with the guy. He's usually more into the chicks if there are any in the band, but then he still makes good contacts with the other players,''

''Wow... I- and how did it go?'' Gaz asked excitedly.

''So, the actual name Ibanez came because the guy whose place I took played on the most... the SEXIEST guitar possible, I mean- I have NO idea how he could afford it, it- it was just magnificent. I never had time to find out the specific model but it was an Ibanez guitar, with the perfect neck, such nice material, and the prettiest color. I never noticed it but Kate told me that it had golden sparkles in it that shined while I was playing on stage,''

''I can imagine, wow... God, so how did it go?''

''Well, we lost-'' Elena laughed and Gaz burst into laughter.

''NO! Not possible! You must have been the best!'' Gaz laughed in between while speaking. ''What did you play?''

''Oh, Creeping Death by Metallica, and now I'm guessing the drug lord didn't want a song which shouted DIE at him loudly,'' Elena explained. ''but- but! I, again, with my explicable charm, managed to squeeze in with the band that did win and make my way downstairs with them.''

''The drug lord fancied you?''

''Fancied?''

''Liked you,''

''Uh-huh,''

''Figures,'' Gaz grinned. ''especially you on a guitar.''

Elena had lost her words. What exactly had he meant by that? Had Gaz just flirted with her? Said that he agreed with the drug lord that he would be charmed by her too? Elena didn't have time to wonder about that. She merely laughed before continuing her story.

''So then, well, I ended up in the lair with the band and the man and his gang too. It was... intimidating because I was in a total adrenaline rush. Thankfully, Kate and I kept in touch and I reported everything I saw, even managing to send her a picture which she quickly sent to someone in higher authority. Then, only having to mingle around for a couple of minutes, Kate came to my rescue and we finished the job,''

''Incredible,'' Gaz commented.

''And apparently, throughout the night, everyone had started to call me Ibanez. Ibanez just went downstairs, Ibanez reporting to Kate, Ibanez just sent a picture, and Ibanez did a good job,''

''I'm proud of you, Jesus,'' Gaz laughed, standing up. ''that's an awesome backstory.''

''Don't you have one?''

Gaz shook his head.

''Gaz is just short for Gary,''

''Oh,'' Elena's eyebrows shot upward as she looked over the sergeant.

''Yeah, so your story might just be the best one I've heard...'' he said while stretching.

''I'll let you get back to your bicep workout. I'm gonna go back to my room,'' Elena replied after smiling at him.

''Oh, but you made this evening so much better,'' Gaz said, taking the seat again and running his hand through his hair. ''You'll have to play for me one day, all right?''

''If there's ever a guitar and the two of us are next to it, I'll play for you,'' Elena promised, nodding.

''I'm actually not a bad singer, ya know?'' Gaz laughed, closing his eyes and starting to hum a song.

Elena rubbed her forehead and giggled as the soldier continued to hum a familiar song.

''Night, Gaz,'' she said, taking the first step away from Gaz and the machine.

Gaz opened his eyes and stopped his humming.

''Goodnight, Ibanez,'' he smirked with a knowing look in his eyes and nodded. ''I'll see you tomorrow.''

Elena had almost reached the end of the gym when she stopped right before the glass doors. She turned around to look back at the machine and see that Gaz was looking at her too. She shot him a smile before turning around to walk through the doors. Then, she realized she had probably spoken more in the last ten minutes than in the whole year. Was it the sergeant's fault?