I wonder who their commander is. I studied my surroundings as we walked down the corridors hoping for any clues to indicate who this person was. I sighed. Most ships were a blank slate. They don't give hints as to who their commander is.

People eyed me warily. I shivered trying to brush off their stares. Did I kill someone they knew? Someone they loved?

Finally, we made it to the commander's quarters. The soldier pressed on the intercom button. "Commander, I am here with the girl."

"Great. Bring her in."

That voice… It sounds so familiar.

As soon as the door before us opened, I knew. It was him. The commander was in a conversation with someone else in the room. I looked over to my left. Two boys a little older than me were standing there. I walked forward, with a little push from the quick-tempered soldier behind me, narrowing the distance between I and their commander.

Finally, the man turned around and I saw it. I saw the infamous white mask. It glared at me, almost mocking me of its existence. Before he even said anything I could see him mouth the words coyly, the Black Swan.

Immediately, my heart started to race. I wasn't prepared for meeting him just yet. The air suddenly became stifling, I couldn't breathe. He was a physical reminder of everything I had tried to escape from. Slowly, the memories started to trickle in.

"So this is the girl who caused such havoc." He smirked at me.

"Commander Le Creuset." I remarked back.

I heard the other people in the room murmur amongst themselves.

One of the boys jumped in. "Commander, would you like for us to come back later?"

"No, please stay. I think it would be beneficial for you to meet our guest." The man laughed and turned towards me. "I am glad you remembered me. But how could you not? We worked alongside one another for so long."

I didn't respond.

"And here you were suspected to be dead. But for some reason, I just knew that not to be true. I knew you were was stronger than that."

I stood there, still silent. My face was like a porcelain doll, smooth and composed. Below the surface though, I was cracking, splitting at the seams. My emotions were brooding within.

Behind me, I could hear someone else enter in and join their comrades on the side.

"When I saw you in battle the other day in that mobile suit, I just knew it had to be you. There are very few who move with such elegance and lethal grace. And yet you haven't changed, you still are a true risk taker. Your new machine really complemented your form. It is almost seductive to watch. Don't you think, Miss Daye? Miss Aviya Daye."

I gritted my teeth in response. That word. Aviya. It was like opening Pandora's box. So many things I was trying to suppress were starting to surface. I wanted to retaliate so bad and release all the anger that was building up inside of me for so long. Instead, I took a deep breath through my gritted teeth. At least stay calm on the outside. I heard more whispers behind me.

"Your name..." I heard one of the voices just a little behind me pipe up. I knew that voice all too well. It was the one I had been trying to forget for the last month. "...isn't Array?"

I turned around to face the voice. "Nicol." My eyes instantly looked away. I didn't have the courage to meet his. "Array is –– was my alias."

"Ah! So you weren't lying, Nicol. You do know her!" Creuset chuckled to himself, "Oh how destiny loves to play games with us all!"

I didn't want to think about how I could have hurt Nicol in that moment. A rush of feeling ashamed of my actions towards Nicol and bitterness towards Le Creuset welled up inside me. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I turned towards Creuset, "You! You're the reason I am like this! You are the reason that he is dead!" I refrained myself from going on and completely exploding.

Even after yelling at him, I still felt unsatisfied. My wounds ran deeper than I thought.

Creuset kept his cool facade. "Now, now, you both knew the risks involved, Miss Daye. He realized that fully and he paid the cost — with his life. Your brother was one of our best. It was a difficult loss for us all."

In talking about him, panic started to set in. Flashback after flashback started flooding my mind. I tried so hard to keep that porcelain doll intact on the outside. Le Creuset saw right through it though.

Another soldier chimed in. "Commander, is this –– are you saying this is Ethan Daye's sister?"

"Yes it is, Athrun. She definitely took after her brother; she was one of our youngest and brightest in the Academy at the time. Before she left that is."

Again, all I could respond with was silence. I knew better. My words at this point could hurt me more than they would aid me. Answering and lashing out at him would only feed Le Creuset and encourage him to keep digging deeper, making my wounds bleed once again. He knew he had cracked me, but I could at least try to keep my dignity and pride intact.

There was a moment of silence. I could feel everyone's eyes were on me, especially the Commander's. He was waiting, waiting for the storm. Waiting for the inner beast to be released. I wouldn't let him have it. I had changed.

"I think that is enough excitement for today. Yzak, you can escort her to her new quarters." I could hear a soldier take a few steps towards me. "Actually, Nicol —- you can escort her there."