He opened it. The file was titled MASTER_USERS_ACTIVE_INF.ods . Columns stretched into the hundreds: User ID, Device Fingerprint, Raw Vocal Sample Hashes, Geolocation (Precise), Session Start, Session End, Associated Emails, Credit Card BIN, Social Graph Links…

Curiosity won.

He deleted the spreadsheet. He uninstalled Voloco. He smashed the SIM card.

Marcus’s blood chilled. He scrolled down to row 8,402.

He stared at the bathroom mirror. For the first time, he realized the app’s icon – a little blue microphone – was still listening. It had never stopped.

The subject line blinked on Marcus’s phone: .

It was his own voice, singing a note he’d never recorded.