Boss

Houssine's unnamed **boss** at the unnamed Taxi firm in Paris. Whilst not technically being a passenger, he does have a slot in the Passidex with entries to obtain.

## Passidex

* You saw your boss.
* You said nothing to your boss.
* You listened to your boss’s explanations.
* You refused to listen to your boss’s explanations.
* You got a warning from your boss.

## Transcripts

`**This section is entirely documented and playable. If you want to go back a step, you must first undo your choice by clicking it again. You can, however, switch between current choices without undoing them first.**`

**BOSS:** *"Well... Look... I've got a bit of a problem. A real problem, that is."*

You have a pounding headache. It's your first night behind the wheel, since... ...since the attack.

**BOSS:** *"Are you listening to me?"*

You catch your boss's eye in the rearview mirror.

« Yeah. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

« Yeah. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

« Yeah. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

« Yeah. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

He stares at you for a second or two without speaking.

**BOSS:** *"Sometimes I wonder what goes on inside your head. You always seem so far away..."*

« I'm listening. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

« I'm listening. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

« I'm listening. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

« I'm listening. »
« Sorry... »
(Stay silent.)

**BOSS:** *"Ok, ok..."*

**HOUSSINE:** *"I just want things to get back to normal. To clear my head. To stop thinking about it all."*

↓

He's watching you closely. Trying to make out what's going on in your head.

**BOSS:** *"You know I'm worried about you, don't you?"*

**HOUSSINE:** *"I know."*

**BOSS:** *"You're like a son to me, you know..."*

**HOUSSINE:** *"I know."*

And you know he's about to tell you the story of his taxi fleet -- again...

**BOSS:** *"When my father died and left me the store, I could have sold it. I could have retired, gone back to the old country."*

(Interrupt him.)
(Let him go on.)

(Interrupt him.)
(Let him go on.)

(Interrupt him.)
(Let him go on.)

**HOUSSINE:** *"But you preferred starting your own company and hiring the local guys."*

Your boss smiles. He knows he's told you the story a million times.

**BOSS:** *"But I decided to start a cab fleet with the money he left me, to hire the guys from the neighbourhood."*

**BOSS:** *"And that's why I've got 45 guys like you working for me."*

His hands flutter in the air.

**BOSS:** *"Though none of them are any match for you."*

He smiles... His voices suddenly takes on a serious note.

**BOSS:** *"Do you want me to go over everything again?"*

He points to the equipment on the dashboard... The meter, the GPS... You haven't been in a taxi for weeks. Maybe you do need a little refresher.

« Yeah, good idea. »
« No, I'm fine. Don't bother. »

« Yeah, good idea. »
« No, I'm fine. Don't bother. »

« Yeah, good idea. »
« No, I'm fine. Don't bother. »

Your boss seems a little embarrassed.

**BOSS:** *"It'll just take a minute. It'd make me feel better..."*

« All right, fine. »
« There's no need, really. »

« All right, fine. »
« There's no need, really. »

« All right, fine. »
« There's no need, really. »

He holds up both hands. It's no use.

**BOSS:** *"Ok then, fine. I know I can trust you... But... I think everyone would be a lot happier if you took it easy for a while."*

He gives you a searching look, then lets out a peculiar soft sigh. It ends on a high note.

**BOSS:** *"Right, then. Well first the map. You spot potential customers and try to guess where they'll be going. Then you decide. When a customer orders a taxi, if there's no one else around, you have to go pick them up."*

He shrugs.

**BOSS:** *"That's the way it goes. It's business."*

« No problem... »
(Stay silent.)

« No problem... »
(Stay silent.)

« No problem... »
(Stay silent.)

↓

**BOSS:** *"The other fares, you look at the map and decide whether or not you want to take them. And then... you drive."*

He flashes a quick, mechanical smile. You know it well. When he talks about work, he talks about work -- that's all.

**BOSS:** *"When your shift is over, we do the numbers and..."*

His voice trails off, as if searching for the right words.

**BOSS:** *"And that's all. It's pretty simple. There's no reason why you can't do it. Oh, right... No overtime. We're in France here, and there are rules, regulations... You might not see it that way, but no one likes having a driver who hasn't slept for 24 hours."*

He looks away. Something's been bothering him since he got in the cab.

**BOSS:** *"Anyhow, you know the ropes. You get it. I know you're going to do a good job..."*

« What's the matter? »
(Stay silent.)

« What's the matter? »
(Stay silent.)

« What's the matter? »
(Stay silent.)

Your boss keeps quiet for a while, as if he's hesitant to speak. And then...

**BOSS:** *"I don't think it's a good idea. You shouldn't be driving. The murderer is still out there, and we think he's going to come back... for you."*

« We? »
« He doesn't know who I am. »
« Maybe. »
(Stay silent.)

« We? »
« He doesn't know who I am. »
« Maybe. »
(Stay silent.)

« We? »
« He doesn't know who I am. »
« Maybe. »
(Stay silent.)

« We? »
« He doesn't know who I am. »
« Maybe. »
(Stay silent.)

« We? »
« He doesn't know who I am. »
« Maybe. »
(Stay silent.)

**BOSS:** *"Your colleagues... I do, too."*

**BOSS:** *"He could have seen your face."*

**HOUSSINE:** *"The police are positive he didn't. He attacked from behind, I fell to the ground, then he took off."*

Silence. Your eyes lock. He holds your gaze. He wants to believe you, to be on your side. He looks away.

Your boss pulls himself up a little straighter -- you can sense he's trying to control himself, trying not to get upset.

Maybe he'd been told to go easy on you. He holds your gaze, then turns away.

**BOSS:** *"You know, I can put you on the day shift... or send you out to the suburbs... away from it all..."*

You shake your head no.

**HOUSSINE:** *"Don't worry about it."*

↓

**BOSS:** *"Anyway... I'll let you get back to work. Every minute spent in your taxi is a minute lost."*

He gives you a smile, half-ironic half-serious.

« Goodnight. »
« Have a good evening. »
« You can count on me. »
(Stay silent.)

« Goodnight. »
« Have a good evening. »
« You can count on me. »
(Stay silent.)

« Goodnight. »
« Have a good evening. »
« You can count on me. »
(Stay silent.)

« Goodnight. »
« Have a good evening. »
« You can count on me. »
(Stay silent.)

« Goodnight. »
« Have a good evening. »
« You can count on me. »
(Stay silent.)

**BOSS:** *"Same to you. And good luck."*

He'll spend the rest of the night dealing with problems and drivers. You wonder how and when the guy ever gets any sleep.

The sarcasm in his voice is palpable...

**BOSS:** *"Right. You have a good evening too."*

He'll spend the rest of the night dealing with problems and drivers. You wonder how and when the guy ever gets any sleep.

He scratches at an invisible stain on the armrest.

**BOSS:** *"Yeah, I know. That's the problem..."*

He smiles.

↓

Your boss opens the door and exits the cab. You watch him cross the street and enter the fleet garage. A couple of colleagues are milling about. Taxis are coming and going. They all ignore you. Consciously, or unconsciously... You are branded. You sit there for a moment, then turn the key in the ignition. The hum of the engine sends a tingle down your spine. It's impossible to describe how you missed that feeling. It's back to the night shift... Back to life... Despite the attack... Despite it all.

## Notes

The Boss's/Houssine's dialogue is also all in speech marks. I've replaced them with quotes (Houssine's choices).

#### Choices

STORY - « Sorry... », (Interrupt him.), « No, I'm fine. Don't bother. », « There's no need, really. », « You can count on me. »

STORY - « Yeah. », (Say nothing.), (Let him go on.), « Yeah, good idea. », « No problem... », « What's the matter? », « Maybe. », « Have a good evening. »

STORY - « Yeah. », « Sorry... », (Let him go on.), « No, I'm fine. Don't bother. », « All right, fine. », (Say nothing.), « What's the matter? », « He doesn't know who I am. », « Good night. »

STORY - « Yeah. », (Say nothing.), (Interrupt him.), « Yeah, good idea. », « No problem... », « What's the matter? », « We? », « You can count on me. »

STORY - « Yeah. », (Say nothing.), (Interrupt him.), « Yeah, good idea. », « No problem... », « What's the matter? », (Say nothing)x2