"Aria," he whispered, his own voice sounding like grating gravel in the quiet. "Turn off the Martian feed."
He reached for the emergency release. He didn't want to observe Mars anymore. He wanted to feel the vacuum. In isolationHD
"Elias, that is against protocol. Your mental health requires visual stimulation." "Aria," he whispered, his own voice sounding like
"Enhancing, Elias. The silicate density is optimal today," Aria would respond, her voice like silk over a cooling circuit. He wanted to feel the vacuum
For the first six months, Elias loved the clarity. He didn't have to deal with the messy smells of a city, the unpredictable humidity of weather, or the draining complexity of human conversation. He spoke only to "Aria," the station’s AI, whose voice was tuned to a frequency that promoted serotonin production. "Aria, zoom in on Crater Sector 7," Elias would say.