“I hear it,” Jason says. “Timer.”

“How long?” Ben asks.

“I don’t know,” Jason says. “It’s not in seconds. It’s in recall cycles.”

“So it’s counting memories?” Leah asks.

“Yeah,” Jason says. “Every time we trigger a memory, the counter jumps.”

“Then we’re already feeding it,” Ben says. “Awesome.”

“We can starve it,” Leah says. “No more memories. Only the name. Only the song.”

“Copy,” Jason says. He threads the name through the core of the web. The web screams without sound. The entire labyrinth tilts.

“Easy,” Ben says. “Easy…”

“It’s opening,” Jason says. “I can see the core now. It’s… small. Bright. Like an ember.”

“Ghost,” Leah says, “do...