Author: Candlelight
Prompt: You work as a telephone conversation screener for the CIA (Celestia’s Intelligence Agency). Your job is to listen in on ponies’ talking. You overhear the conversation of a mare calling from a bar payphone.
Title: Temporal bug
Time for an all-nighter, like last time. Upside: I don't fall asleep at work, this post is that shallow in daytime traffic. Downside: I don't get to sleep at all. I really should swing between nightly and daily shifts, but that messes up my sleep cycle. Makes me forget what part of or even which day it is. Heh, I remember when I thought it was yesterday and I half-expected everything to play out as I remembered that day.
Sure is lonely all by myself, figures that nopony showed up but me tonight. I wonder when I get a—
"Hello? Is this the right phone? I know you're there, so listen up: I'm locked inside the bar and it's lurking outside. Since you're in the van, it's either gonna—"
What the hay? She didn't call anyone, was she talking to me? How did she know which phone was bugged? Wait a second, the bar is still full outside, I hear music and everything. And this post can only pick up the signal from inside the bar, I know cause I set it up. Ehh, might've been a prank call for all I know, didn't spill no info, so no use noting the time of recording. I hate it when the others don't bother doing that, and then it's my job to listen to the whole thing to find the part they're talkin' about.
Ah well, guess it's back to listening to background noise till I get another one. Damn, I could use a rest...
...
"You still there? Wake up! It's been two hours, I remember when you're taking that nap! So wake up damn it!"
Wh-what? Who the? Oooooh, no you don't, I'm not blowin' covers this time, 'specially not since you woke me up from my... two-hour nap? The hay, how could I fall—
"Listen up! Whatever you do, don't—"
What in tarnation is up with this mare? Same voice, sounded pretty weird through the line. Uhh, yeah, pretty invisible line, considering this thing is—
"Damn radio signal breaking up, I knew we should'a just tapped the phonelines directly! You hear, next time use the damn phone lines! If there's actually gonna be a next time for me!"
"Okay, sister, I've had it with this act! You get off this phone and quit wreckin' the recon instruments or I'll go there and—"
"Recon instruments, oh brother! As for you coming here, yeah, that's what you ain't gonna do, not this time, I ain't gonna let—" ... "Damn this signal, just stay where you are, ok? No matter what you hear, just—"
"You still there? Hey, you hear? Do you read me, over?"
Wait, did I just go all voice procedure on her? She doesn't even—
"Oh, god, no! Please don't! Noo—" ... "You gotta help me! No, wait, you gotta stay—"
I've had enough. Gonna see for myself. Hm, the bar must've... closed while I napped... What in tarna—
Be still my heart, it's outside, the thing is lurking outside, and it can't catch us, cause we're locked inside the bar. Wait, since when do I address myself in plural?
This place is empty. No tables or stools, not even a counter. Pitch black void. Except for the dead phone. How appropriate.
It's right behind me, isn't it?