The Opening Act (A Splatoon Script)

Part 3 - Ugly Truths

Juliuz: Nnnn... yurblurry. (Juliuz looks up at the other agents, but his vision is very blurred.)

Juliuz: Wha- what happened?

Coral: Doctor Nariko caught you, and she, uh, experimented some stuff on you I guess?

Juliuz: Wait... who are you?

Coral: A friend! I tried to rescue you, but that plan flopped. (Juliuz, now out of the tube, starts to sit up.)

Juliuz: Ooowww...

Callie: Take it easy, just slow down. (He puts a hand on his head and Callie helps him slowly straighten up.)

Echo: Juliuz, you're probably going to think this sounds crazy, but you're-

Juliuz: You left. (Echo awkwardly grins at Juliuz, trying to keep him in a good mood.)

Echo: Huh?

Juliuz: You know what I'm talking about. You should've helped and fought the Octarians. But you just stood there. Why? (He looks hurt.)

Echo: I-

Juliuz: You couldn't hurt your own kind, could you? Because you're still loyal to them, aren't you, Octarian?

Echo: No! I couldn't fight because-

Juliuz: Don't even start! (He leans up.)

Callie: Juliuz, What Echo did was fine. Those octolings were probably innocent.

Juliuz: Innocent? Yeah, right. (He starts to get up.)

Echo: Juliuz, wait! (She tries to keep Juliuz from getting up.)

Juliuz: *cough* *cough* *cough* (He starts to lose balance, so he puts his hands on his knees as he leans over and coughs up some of the green sludge.)

Coral: Are you okay?

Juliuz: Yeah, I'm fine.

Coral: You sure? 'Cause you look like a- nevermind. (She awkwardly points as Juliuz straightens up.)

Juliuz: Like a what? (Juliuz is confused and a bit alarmed by what Coral said.)

Juliuz:?! (He catches a glance of his reflection in a nearby blackened window.)

Juliuz: W-what the HECK?! No... no no no no! What did she do to me?! (Juliuz stumbles over to the blackened window and puts a hand on his hair, shocked at his new octoling appearance.)

Echo: [softly] Juliuz?

Juliuz: She turned me into an octoling! An OCTOLING!!! How? Why? (He still faces the blackened window.)

Juliuz: This- this can't be right. This has to be some REALLY bad dream! I mean, it's not possible to turn someone into another species, right? It's just not possible! (He shakes his head.)

(Everyone else stays silent, most of them look down.)

Juliuz: This- this is real. (He takes a step back, kind of scared.)

Marie: Yep.

Echo: Juliuz, I get that this has to be weird, but this isn't all that bad! You may look different, but you're still you! If you're worried if this is going to hurt you- (Marie crosses her arms, still aggravated by him, and Echo tries to calm him down.)

Juliuz: Hurt me? It already has. But that's the least of my worries.

Echo: But... (Juliuz grabs his hoodie from a basket.)

Juliuz: You would never get it! I can't be seen like this! It's- it's disgraceful! (Echo looks down, upset.)

Juliuz: It was YOUR species that did this to me! And you let them! No agent would ever just let that happen! (He stomps over to her.)