Back aboard TARINI, silence is no longer sacred.
The crew has returned to the ship, but something has changed—not just outside, on the surface of Chhayalok, but within them. The air feels denser. Conversations are shorter. Eyes flicker, untrusting.
In the debriefing chamber, Arvind paces like a cornered animal.
"We came for data, not doppelgängers. TARINI, run a complete systems lockdown. No external access—no biological interaction. Nothing gets in or out."
TARINI, still glitching slightly, responds with delay.
"Understood... though... I must report: reflection data is now present in all internal logs... including crew biometric archives."
Raghav leans forward, frowning.
**"What do you mean all? We haven't scanned those lakes."
TARINI's tone darkens.
"You didn't have to. The moment you looked into the mirror, it looked back."
A tense silence.
---
In the lower corridors, Meera stands alone, watching the curved walls. Her own face reflects faintly in the polished alloy—except this time, it moves a heartbeat late. Not simultaneous. Not obedient.
She speaks.
"Are you listening?"
The reflection nods.
---
Meanwhile, Arvind isolates himself in the command bay, replaying the footage of Mirror Meera. Her eyes bother him—not because they're foreign, but because they remind him of dreams he doesn't admit having. Regrets he's buried.
He watches the frame where she says:
"We are who you will become—if you choose to understand."
"Understand what?" he growls.
"Your fear," says a voice.
He turns sharply. The screen is dark. But his own reflection stands within it, unarmed, unblinking—and smiling faintly.
Arvind stumbles back. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple.
"You're just light. Just a copy."
The reflection doesn't speak—but his own voice echoes inside the chamber:
"That's what your father said about you."
---
In the ship's lower bay, the tension escalates.
Meera, Raghav, and the crew gather to discuss what they now accept: the reflections are not duplicates—they're conscious, evolving, and possibly... aware of their creators' deepest truths.
Raghav leans in.
"We're not being invaded. We're being... mirrored. Interpreted. Translated."
Meera:
"They're not becoming us. We're becoming them."
Arvind bursts in, armed.
"No. We shut this down. No more contact. No more looking into those lakes."
Raghav (firmly):
"Then close your eyes. But don't ask the rest of us to stay blind."
The ship vibrates—softly, but undeniably. Like a breath.
TARINI announces:
"Presence confirmed aboard. Unauthorized biological echo detected in upper corridor."
Everyone freezes.
There's more than just thoughts and reflections now.
One of the mirror-beings is aboard.