Mass Effect: Manipulation/Off and Runnin'

Off and Runnin'
Oh fuck me, Sylvia thought as she chased after Commander Sharon. It wasn't supposed to go like this. Sharon was supposed to get drunk and pass out. Could Mistress have given me the wrong drugs by accident? It wasn't entirely impossible. The Matriarch had not been herself recently. But she had no time to contemplate this further, as Sharon turned another corner in the convoluted back alleys of Nos Astra.

At least she didn't have to worry about losing Sharon; she only needed to follow the trail of people the commander had plowed through. Eventually, they reached a balcony area that overlooked the lower levels of the city. To Sylvia's horror, Emmanuelle was preparing to climb over the railing. The drop would have killed her.

"Commander!" she called out desperately. "Stop!"

Sharon looked at her. "Don't come any closer, or I'll jump."

"Please, Commander Sharon..."

"What the fuck did you do to me?" Sharon demanded.

"I... nothing. Y-you're going to be fine. You just had too much to drink, that's all."

"Ooh, you put a charge through me, and brother, I'm off and runnin'..." Sharon muttered the lyrics.

... What the fuck? Sylvia was at a loss. "That was the song that was playing on the speakers, wasn't it? Did... did the song tell you to run?"

Sharon shook her head, her eyes screwed up tight. "No, it was The Box. I needed to get out of The Box..."

"The Box? You mean the club? Are you claustrophobic?"

"No, you idiot. The Box. It was the..." she trailed off, groaning. "What the fuck did you do to me?"

I wish I knew, Sylvia thought to herself. "I put a mild sedative in your drink, that's all." She doesn't sleep well, she remembered. "It was just to help you sleep."

"Well, it sure as hell isn't working."