Daniel looked towards left to check remaining time to reach that point. It said:
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: 10 Minutes: 29 seconds"
"It is too late." Daniel spoke to himself.
He could now see it.
All the questions; why projectiles could not reach them?; why another comet identical to the first comet appeared from other side?; or why He could see another ship identical to Dana approaching from the other side? had one answer.
There was a gigantic MIRROR in front of them. It was less than 30 kilometers away from Dana. The mirror was so huge that Daniel could not see any corners or sides of it. It was perfectly reflecting this side of universe.
But this mirror, in fact, was not a mirror. Because mirror would have crashed to pieces when comet ran into it. If this were a mirror, Daniel would not have been this much afraid of it. This was some sort of spatial phenomenon; a phenomenon he had never seen or heard of. A phenomenon that devoured projectiles and let comet through it.
He could not even use DJ-1 or DJ-2 to escape. Those ships were shut off and needed 30 minutes to become fully operational. He could not stop Dana. Dana was inevitably going to slam into it.
Daniel was visibly trembling.
"I could send a drone into this gigantic mirror and see what will happen to it." Daniel thought and turned around to go back into his chair.
He glanced at timer on his left and it showed:
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: 6 Minutes: 11 seconds" He stopped. It was useless. By the time drone were to reach and smash into the mirror, Dana would be too close to get anything out of it. The plan would only result in throwing one of his resources away.
Daniel turned back and stood there facing the mirror head on. Drops of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead. He was staring into the space blankly. Daniel could stare death in the eye and embrace it with a smile on his face.
But this…
This could result in anything: Passing through it without any harm was the most desirable outcome; Death was the simplest answer; getting stuck in the loop of consciousness and illusion interchanging with each other, for the eternity, was the scariest of them all. He was a physicist, and he understood the kinds of hell this could impose on him.
Daniel had never felt this helpless before.
Timer on left showed:
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: 5 Minutes: 0 seconds"
Dana was 15 kilometers away from the Mirror. Now Daniel could see their reflection clearly. As, he was facing this reality, he could look back at all his life and it was making him sadder with every passing moment and every mile travelled.
He grew up with no parents, no siblings, and no relatives with a burden on his shoulders to find a new place for the humanity to live and prosper. He had only one friend and he had a huge crush on her. She always felt like an unachievable milestone; a beautiful being he could not be with.
How much he was regretting now; for not grabbing her hand at least once and asking her to go with him; for not breaking all the rules of the society; for being what he was told to be and not being what he could have been.
A tear rolled out of his eye. He just stood in utter silence staring into this cold and dark universe.
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: 3 Minutes: 0 seconds"
How much he was regretting now: for not asking her to be his companion in this dark, dark universe; for not finding at least one person who would remember him after he died; for not living his life to the fullest when he was alive; for not fighting when he had strength; for not believing in himself; for not loving himself enough.
"Only, if I could live one more time, I would live like that." He thought.
His biggest wish encompassed all his regrets; to find a home for himself.
His favorite writer Her Kas wrote in his book "Beginning after the end":
"Now that he was leaving his planet to commence his life anew. He was not feeling sad. He was feeling symptoms of withdrawal, anxiety, and hope but not sadness or depression. He was not feeling sad because he was only changing his mailing address. He might miss his old place and feel nostalgic, but he was sure he was not going to be sad. Because he knew, people miss homes and homes are not physical addresses or houses made of bricks and stones.
Home is a person you would want to return to, no matter where you go; a person who remembers and recalls you all their life and longs to see you one more time. Home is someone you love and someone who loves you back. Your home could be your mother, your father, your wife, your children, or a girl you love. For him it was his wife and child, and they were with him.
He had his home secured. Why should he be sad?"
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: 2 Minutes: 0 seconds"
The mirror was closing in. Dana was only 6 kilometers away. Daniel could see the ship more clearly. He could not stand any longer. He leaned forward and grabbed metal reeling alongside mirror. He was still trembling.
"I have been living like that reflection of Dana: Walked as advised, ate as told, trained as guided and lived as a proxy." Daniel looked at the reflection of Dana and thought.
He wiped his tears off and waited for the ship to crash into the mirror.
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: 1 Minutes: 0 seconds"
"Hey Dana!"
"Yes."
"I love you." Daniel enclosed all his sadness and loneliness into his words.
No response.
"What was I expecting?" Daniel thought.
"Hey Dana!"
"Yes sir!"
"Come stand with me."
Dana appeared next to him.
Daniel looked at her. She looked as mesmerizing as ever.
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: Minutes: 30 seconds"
Daniel turned to her looked into her eyes and said
"Its time for me to let you go. Bye." Daniel smiled and tears rolled out his eyes again. He was really trying to contain himself but of no use.
Dana disappeared.
"Time to reach Disappearance spot: 0 Hours: 0 Minutes: 10 seconds"
Daniel calmed himself down a little and turned back to look at Mirror again.
Ship was not 500 meters away. Now Daniel could see himself.
"I look pathetic and fool and biggest failure in the world." Both Daniels smirked.
"Three seconds"
Daniel could see himself clearly from 150 meters away. His heart was beating randomly. He felt like he would fall on his knees.
"Two seconds."
Distance reduced to 100 meters.
As the ship inched towards the mirror, Daniel's heart rate increased. He felt like he could not breath anymore. If it were someone else, they would have had a heart attack by now.
"Sir, your heart is beating irregularly. Please sit down. Should I call Medics?" Dana alarmed. Daniel did not pay attention.
"One second"
They were 50 meters apart now. Tears stopped flowing. Daniel just looked blankly in the reflection.
An unpredictable event was waiting for him at an interval of a split of a second.
Distance kept on reducing: 40 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters, 5 meters, 3 meters, two meters, and one meter.
Daniel stared in his own eyes as ship made the contact.