'Say silly inventions!' shouts Tilly as Mia and Ora posed in front of KFC's latest marketing ploy. The game console with a chicken warmer in it. The sign read: The last stop on the tour and coming to an online store near you!
Mia was still wondering how online stores could be far.
Tilly held out her phone for a group selfie. Mia finally noticed her cousin was almost as tall as her with Tilly's head leaning perfectly on Mia's shoulder.
'Mia, you're supposed to at the camera not me!' Tilly groaned.
'Oh, sorry. Ben always tells me off for doing that.' Mia says.
Tilly waves it off. 'Again.'
They posed again. Ora bumped into Mia. Seconds later the old lady from the bus is scuttled away with her walker. She chuckled like a movie witch.
'Did she photobombed us?' Ora asked, she sounded offended but Mia and Tilly just started laughing.
'They do that to people all the time.' Mia whispers to Tilly.
She catches Ora glares at her and tickles them on the neck, 'Karma had to catch you eventually, Ora.' They fight back pulling Mia into a headlock and ruffling her hair. 'Ora! I don't even have a brush with me.'
'You look better with messy hair.' Ora says pulling a little away from Tilly before releasing her. Ora points to their right, 'Turns out that tunnel leading to the vaults. I'm gonna check how long that line is. Cover for me.'
Mia gives them a quick nod and they disappear into the slowly growing crowd of the museum.
For most of tour Mia and Ora had gone along with Tilly's limitless energy, taking pictures at almost every stop. From the robotic talking Colonel at the start - which, according to Ora was a bad omen - to the replica of the gun the Colonel's rival used to kill to try an kill him. Mia's favourite was the indoor drive-thru on those tiny bicycles that Mia was way too big for. Ora laughed so hard they started choking.
They did asked questions about the recipe and the vault. Sometime through asking Tilly first and she'd ask around for them. How did the vault look? Had anyone tried to steal the recipe? Was it true the Colonel hated their recipe change?
And the tour guide played along - spinning wild rumours about ninjas trying to steal their chicken-scented candles or printed crocs. Every one a segway to the next stop. Annoying as it was, Mia hoped he was getting paid enough for his enthusiasm.
They were now back at the start, queued up for the "Be your own chef segment." Ora and Tilly obviously refused to participate - a great excuse to snoop - so Tilly planned to try bringing Mia along as her cheat card.
Tilly randomly being there for the tour made everything seem more like a dream, a mesh of random events with people Mia knew just popping up, not some world-ending countdown. It was a blessing and a curse not having the countdown on her. She cursed under her breath for not asking Pain to transfer it to her phone at least.
'What happened? Did Ora find a way to break the robot?' Tilly quips as the next batch of tourists met the creepy robot dressed in an actual white suit.
'They went to the toilet.' Mia says pointing to the tunnel.
Tilly shifts her arm to point to the left, at the big toilet sign, 'Shall we get you glasses, to complete the twin look?'
Mia steals Tilly's sunglasses, posing as the line moved up. Tilly took eleven pictures and they all looked bad, 'These'd suit Ora better I think, they love dark shades.'
Tilly grinned at her wordlessly, she looked like Mia's Mum when she first moved out.
'What?'
'Nothing. I'm just happy for you. You got a little fam, soon to be a fancy hotel restaurant manager. Martin would be proud, though he'd be prouder if you got married.'
Mia snorts, remembering her father at previous weddings, 'He'd just embarrassed me, telling the story of me crying in the rain after you cut my hair.'
'Do have to defend myself again? I was 9, it was a process of elimination. If people mistook you for a boy when your hair was short then maybe I wasn't trans.' Tilly laughs, 'Plus short hair was safer for figure skating.'
'Keep telling yourself that.' Mia janks Tilly's ponytail. 'Anyway no. My stance remains: Marriage is just an archaic, expensive party that I don't need. As for Ora, their indifferent.'
'Huh? You two sound perfect then.' Tilly gasps, prodding Mia with finger guns, 'Now Ben's recovered, you two should finally get out of Grey Sky country. You could house-sit my place in Cali! Bet, you've missed out on couple stuff.'
Mia shoved her, pretending to be grossed out but Californian sun with Ora sounded...glorious.
Ben had moved to Central for better treatment almost the same week they started dating. Then their father went to Kenya, so Ora had to be Ben's primary carer. The guys at Royal Marsden were amazing help but the routine of hospitals and medicine and and work and worry became a habit, especially for Ora. At least Mia got that little holiday last year - and only on Ora's insistence - whilst the most they'd done was half a day at Southend.
It was easy for Mia to help and encourage Ben to volunteer abroad and talk to Ora about his feelings. However, practising what she preached felt like forcing herself to juggle china.
'What? Has Ora never seen you sunburnt?'
'No. It's...it's just...Ben and Ora's trouble. I shouldn't really get involved.'
'Why not?'
'Because I'm...' she paused, confused at her loss of words.
'MIA! I found her, come on.' Ben's voice carried from the entrance as he waved at her through the crowd. Behind him were Seb and Paul with a KFC bucket on his lap. He was whispering into it.
'Finally! We should have discussed a meeting spot.'
'Is this Ben?' Tilly almost squealed, 'You never told me he was here too.'
'It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady.' Ben bowed kissing Tilly's hand.
Tilly exaggerates fanning herself. 'Oh my! How can this be Ora's brother? She's so meh!'
'I got all the good genes.' Ben said flaring his blazer collar.
Mia ignores her. 'Guys this is Tilly, probably talked about her dozens of times. More of a sister than my actual one.'
'So Paul, this is my sister-ish in-law Mia, the one who skated in the Olympics. And Mia, this is Seb's boyfriend Paul, the one who built Seb's new leg.' Ben says
'I didn't actually-' Paul and Mia protested in unison. They laughed and shook hands.
'Pleasure to meet you.' Paul says. He was just like Seb described, overly formal clothes and the warmest smile you've ever seen.
'It's almost my turn, any of you wanna come to cook some chicken?' Tilly offered.
They all politely rejected her offer, Seb glared at Mia tapping his wrist and gesturing around for Ora. They hadn't returned or texted Mia.
'Sorry Tils, you're gonna have to go alone. Seb has something booked in town, tight schedule you know.' Mia explained as she pointed the others down to the tunnel.
'Sure, sure.' Tilly hugged her tight, 'Wish you weren't leaving so soon. The Cali offer still stands just call me next time, Ok.'
'Of course. It was so great seeing you.' Mia whispers, 'Tell them you know about the rule of 7. They'll be mad impressed.'
Mia squeezes Tilly hand as she leaves ducking under the railing but Tilly tugs her back. 'Hey, sister-ish In-law. Sounded like you're family to me. Don't let those assholes in your head get to you.' She pushed the sunglass on Mia's face, 'They need a cool one like you.'
'Thanks.' Mia smiled and left thinking Tilly was still way cooler than her. If they didn't get this recipe...she might never see Tilly again. Mia ran back to give Tilly a bigger hug, 'Love you Tills.'
'Aw, love you too.' Tilly pushes her off, 'Now get going.'
Just then screams broke out from down the tunnel. People were running, leaving or running towards the trouble with their phones out immediately. Something about a live, black chicken.
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It had all happened so quickly.
Ben saw Ora first. They'd been arguing with a guard about getting a second go. There was a small queue outside a big metal door, a sign saying, "Crack the crispy code for a chance to see inside!'
'Security is incredibly lacking for such an valuable item.' Pain said quietly.
'Shhh, no chatting now.' Paul says, though he'd been the main instigator, 'It's obviously rigged. Still a great attraction though, love a good mystery.'
Ora saw Ben and rushed over asking how they got in - Ben used his Father's PayPal on his phone - and how his side of the plan went.
'It was fine.' Ben said, so unconvincing his voice cracked. He acted like a weak, mumbling child in front of those "business people". Maybe Ora's worries were right, going away was...
No, he still had a chance. The others' whispered about a distraction.
Suddenly, Ben was holding Pain in a bucket and then the guard was questioning him about bringing food inside the area. Ben told him there wasn't any which he obviously didn't believe. Then the guard took the bucket from him and started to open it so Ben blurted the first thing that came to mind.
'There's a chicken inside. Not a live one, well not dead either, it's a robot. AI.' The guard looks up at him blinking, the lid half open, 'A companion for my blog, easy attraction and great GPS!'
Ben laughs but the guard doesn't. They both stared at the bucket, nothing happened. Ben slowly takes it from him, a crowd was watching now hopeful drawing attention away from Paul and the others. He could do this as long as he stayed calm.
He placed the bucket on the ground tipped on its side and Pain stepped out and turned to him, confused. Ben crouched down beside her.
'I know you can't help, it's against the rules but-' Ben starts
'I am an advanced species, I know this plan is not gonna work.'
'I didn't even tell you a-' Ben paused, 'You're telepathic, aren't you?'
'Yes, stop changing the plan that won't work either.'
'BUT it'll be fun, think of all the human minds you can read, the data you can collect.'
Pain considers it then nods. Ben, picks her up and addresses the audience.
'My name is Ben Musha-Grady. I have a blog, Fast Food- Fast London, where I've almost tried every fried chicken restaurant or chain in London. It in memory of a friend I lost to cancer as well as to get me through my own treatment and now we raise money for TCC so there can be more teen survivors like me.
'And I need your help. I want to make a list of places I should go in the US. I don't want you to tell me though, I bet my black chicken here can guess your favourite fried chicken just by looking at you. " But if she gets it wrong?" I here you ask, well, if the eleventh turn in wrong, you get eleven dollars. Ain't that right...BC?'
Pain glared at him as Ben tried not to visibly cringe. Through the murmurs and suspicion, Mia stepped forward to volunteer.
'But you're not American, you're from London.' Pain says.
The audience gasps and, to Ben's surprise, that's what hooks them even the guards. Ben got to talk to lovely people recommending Sweet tea chicken in Alabama and The Denver biscuit in Colorado. It was incredible how much more variation one dish could have.
And just when he was feeling comfortable in hi element, someone picked him up by the waist and dragged him away.
'The vaults open!' 'Security!' 'It was a scam after all!'
Mia rushed Ben through the door as Ben screamed for help only half pretending to be in distress. Pain was running to catch up but with the guards push people back she was trapped in a forest of legs and shoes.
'MOVE!' Pain screamed. She seemed to grow in size and flew up and over the crowd. They cowered and stumbled back just enough for Pain to get through before the door closed.
SLAM! click!
Ben tried the handle but the door didn't open. They were huddled in silence, in the dark, catching their breath. Paul was the first one to pull out his phone and turn on the torch.
'BEN!' Ora hugging him, 'We almost left you behind, what were you doing?'
'Being the distraction...' Ben stared at Ora confused.
'And why didn't you tell anyone? What if Mia didn't find you or the other crowd got in because they were following you?'
'Thanks to Pain, no one did.' Mia confirms.
'That's not the point.' Ora snaps at her before turning back to Ben, 'You got lucky. It probably won't happen again, we have to discuss things.'
'What? Just for you to tell me I can't? I didn't see you coming up with better.' Ben glares and Ora doesn't have a comeback.
'Guys! Hello, last I checked we have a whole alien invasion to stop. Could you do this later?'
'You're not even-' Ora growls. They pause, putting their hands up, 'Sorry, sorry Paul. Everyone! Let's just go.'
Ora led the way down the corridor, Mia after them. She gave Ben a sympathetic smile.
'They were right though.' Pain says sitting on Paul's lap, 'We won't be allowed to bring you on the ship.'
'What?' Paul looked like a kid being banned from Legoland.
'Don't worry we'll take lots of pictures for you. Right, Seb? You have the best camera.' Ben pats Paul's shoulder.
Seb says nothing for a while. 'My phone's dead so, sorry.'
Seb walked ahead leaving Ben and Paul at the back. The light from the other torches casting long shadows on the spotted tiles that lined the floor and ceiling. The darkness seemed to stretch endlessly ahead and, if Ben senses were correct, slopping down. The empty black behind him felt like ghostly hands sending icy chills down his back.
'I don't like this.' Mia whispers, 'Is this how it's supposed to look, Seb?'
'You're the ones who went to on the tour.'
'They said they'd recently upgraded the vault given the new risk of drones being able to fly in.' Ora explains.
'Building a drone that could fly this far down would be difficult, let alone one dexterious enough to open a padlock or strong enough to carry the spices all the way back without overheating.' Paul explained.
'Thank you Professor for such useful insight.' Ora groaned.
'You're very welcome young one.' Paul grinned back.
'I thought it was very useful, right Seb?' Ben says. Seb doesn't even turn around.
Lights flickers on. One on the ceiling showing they were a few steps from the wall and the other, a big red arrow made of light bulbs. It flashed for them to turn right. "Let's get cooking!" was painted in bold cursive black on the wall.
'Are you sure the door didn't unlock?' Mia asked. Around the corner was a lift. The doors slid open with revealing a mirror in the back, the rest decorated with different KFC logos.
They squeezed in. Mia hugging Ora, Seb tucked behind Paul's chair and Ben to the left of it. It took a few seconds before the doors closed and the lift went down.