Something Familiar

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Reaching the outskirts of Fawcett city, Ben and Shazam get the feeling that there's been someone following them since they left, so they decide to make a pit stop.

" So do we just leave it or what? " Shazam asks, looking inconspicuous. " Just leave it, we've got more important things to do. " Ben says, passing the hero a smoothie.

" So where do we go exactly? " Ben asks looking at a nearby gas station with his sleep deprived eyes, " It's located at the end of a abandoned subway. " Shazam replies, sipping violently on his smoothie.

At the gas station Ben was looking at out of pure sleepiness, a van pulled up and a group of four alighted, dressed in black.

' Totally not suspicious at all. ' Ben thinks, releasing a yawn as he continues to watch the scene never once averting his gaze.

" Did you hear me? " Shazam asks noticing the teen not show or give any sign of acknowledgement after a while.

" We're going to an abandoned subway to see if your arch enemy has started his grand plan of doing something to the world. " Ben replies nonchalantly, still keeping his eyes on the gas station.

Not able to understand why Ben was acting the way he is, Shazam looks to the direction Ben has his eyes on, and questions " What are you even looking at? "

To make it short, the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

The group of four split up into two when they alighted the van. Two went into the convenience store armed with guns, while the other two were outside, thrashing everything around them.

" That's not good. " Shazam states.

Without another word, Ben tossed his empty smoothie cup into a nearby trash can and headed straight for the gas station, Shazam following behind with his half finished smoothie in hand.

....

" We could've robbed a bank, but nooooooo. Frank just had to choose this stupid has station of all our other options! " One of the two outside says in anger as he smashes a window of the convenience store window with a sledgehammer he took out from the van.

The other guy who's more muscular than his buddy swinging around the sledgehammer, lets out a sigh but doesn't move to do anything. " What can we do? We all drew lots on who would be the leader of our group, and he won fair and square. "

" Doesn't mean I won't complain about it- " Just then, a crash came from the car wash.

Turning their attention towards the area, the two make hand signals and head to it silently.

...

" Who even puts a trash can inside a car wash! " Ben asks exasperated as Shazam and he take cover behind some brushes.

" Why are we hiding anyways? " Shazam asks as he slurps on his smoothie.

" There's a cashier in the store being threatened by two guys armed with guns, and another guy carrying around a sledgehammer, take a guess. " Ben reminds as he takes a look outside.

" I think the noise came from here. " The two heroes quietened down when they heard the voice coming from outside.

Not wanting to attract their attention, Ben and Shazam split up and went up to the two robbers from the sides.

Ben's side was closer to the entrance of the car wash, so he managed to catch a glimpse of a man who's much more taller and muscular than him, crossing his arms with a frown etched on his face.

" It's likely whatever was here has already ran Josh. Let's just head back to the van, Frank and Mark should be fine by now. " The burly man suggests, while his partner in crime - Josh - carrying the sledgehammer enters the car wash.

Not bothering to give an answer, Josh turns back around and drops the sledgehammer onto the ground, dragging it along as he heads back out.

When he two headed back to the van, Ben made sure the coast was clear for the time being before meeting back up with Shazam.

" Who brings a sledgehammer to a robbery? " The champion questions looking at the direction the two robbers went.

Silently agreeing with his partner, Ben activates the omnitrix.

" It's hero time! " He mumbles out subconsciously, as his palm makes contact with the omnitrix dial. Temporarily blinding Shazam with the bright green flash, and turning into his alien of choice.

When the flash dies down, Shazam didn't hear any words but what he did see, was a orange dog-like alien with no eyes and around it's neck was a green and white collar with the omnitrix symbol on the front.

" Uhhh Ben? " The demigod calls out unsure. Instead of giving a verbal response, the vulpimancer just gives a rough grunt and begins runs off to the convenience store.

" I'll just take that as 'Follow me Shazam!' " Flying after the very agile teenage alien hero.

...

Inside the convenience store where the robbery was taking place, the cashier was sneakily stuffing in cash from the register inside a duffel bag.

" Hurry up! We don't got all day! " One of the robbers threaten pointing his gun at him.

" Frank, chill. It's not like the cops are gonna come to this crummy old place. " The other robber states while deleting footage from the one surveillance camera, just to be sure.

" Hey, hasn't it been too peaceful lately? " He asks Frank, unsure of what is happening outside.

" Oh shut up- " Just then, a human body came flying through one of the unbroken windows and dropped unceremoniously onto the ground.

" THE SHI- " Frank shouts out, changing the direction of his gun to where the body flew through, only to be met face to face - well kind of - with a orange eyeless dog creature.

" The guy's unconscious right? " A voice asks from behind Wildmutt, " Ughhhhh " A voice from the person - now identified as Josh, sounds out without moving from his spot on the ground.

After confirming that the robber was just out of the fight and not dead, the four of them broke out into a fight....inside the convenience store.

And while the fight was happening, the cashier was feeling very conflicted. On one hand, he was happy that he was saved from the robbers. On the other hand, he was in distress at the amount of scolding he would be getting from his boss when the bill gets sent. He couldn't decide what to feel, so he fainted on the spot.

The fight ended fairly quickly, so after calling the cops, Ben and Shazam took the three unconscious bodies out of the store and to the road side to be reunited with their fourth unconscious comrade.

" The cops are here, let's go. " Ben says to Shazam, so the two set back out to Fawcett city.

On the way, the two pass by a forested area Ben finds familiar for some reason.

" Ben? " Shazam asks, noticing the teenager's decrease in speed. " You go on ahead, there's something I need to check. " Ben says taking a swerve off the road and parking the Tenn-speed 2.0.

" Wasn't this place shown on the Batcom? " Ben asks himself walking toward where he remembers the red dot was blinking.

The forest area shown on the Batcom was quite some ways from the road Ben and Shazam took so he wasnt able to recognise it at first, they'd have pass by it, and boy was Ben glad he recognised it.

Because right on the ground in a clearing of some trees, was Ben's hoverboard.

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