Animal X: Natural Mystery Unit the Complete Season 1

Episode 5: Mega-snake Attack

Featured Cryptid: Megaconda

Our episode opens up with a flashback to Natalie's childhood, where we see an 8-year-old Natalie along with bill visiting an Animal X outpost located in the Amazon rainforest. the two are given a tour by Raoul, the director of Animal X's Brazilian facility explaining to them that this place functions as a rehabilitation center for sick and injured cryptids that are unable to survive in the wild. Natalie then decides to wander off and comes across a cage with an abnormally large anaconda inside. Natalie's small body manages to slip through the bars of the cage where she tries to climb on the massive serpent, only for the anaconda to wrap itself around Natalie and start constricting her. she screams for help, only for Bill and Raoul to hear her screams for help and rush to her rescue. the two are shocked to see her attacked by the giant snake. Raoul tells Bill that they don't have much time or else the Megaconda will choke her to death and swallow her whole. Raoul then opens the cage and jumps in, wrestling the Megaconda causing it to let go of Natalie. Bill grabs Natalie and pulls her out of the cage, holding her in his arms asking if she's alright. however little Natalie doesn't respond, as she's too traumatized to speak. we then cut back to present day where adult Natalie wakes up in the middle of the night after dreaming about such a horrific childhood memory. the next day, we see Bill call Daniel and Natalie into his office, telling the two that they'll be going on a special mission to a now-abandoned Animal X outpost, which causes Natalie to have more disturbed childhood flashbacks. Daniel asks her if she's okay, followed by Natalie telling him that it's nothing. Bill then explains that locals have spotted an abnormally large snake that they call the Minhocão , but Animal X believes it to be a species of Giant Anaconda that he likes to call... the Megaconda. Natalie is still nervous, shaking like crazy. Bill then tells the two of them that they won't be going alone, telling them that Dr. Helena White will be going with them for research. Helena then tells the two that they will be on their best behavior, all the while Rodney shakes his head. Daniel, Natalie, Helena, and Rodney all hop in the X-Jeep and fly off with Helena in the driver's seat, all the while Tony watches them feeling frustrated that his mom left without him AGAIN, while Bill places his hand on Tony's shoulder telling him that she has her priorities. we then cut to the X-Jeep arriving in the Amazon rainforest. the three (plus Rodney) exit the vehicle and walk through the dense jungle while the local wildlife such as colorful birds and monkeys watch from the trees which Rodney gets curious about and zips through the trees to greet the local critters. Natalie then freaks out when she sees a snake on her shoulder, however it turns out to be just a fake rubber snake that Daniel put on her shoulder just to scare her, Daniel and Rodney both laughing at Natalie's traumatized face only for her to punch Daniel in the face as payback for scaring her like that. Daniel then asks Dr. Helena what Natalie's problem is, and Helena tells Daniel that Natalie has an irrational fear of snakes, ever since she was a small child she's been deeply terrified of anything that's scaly and slithers but Bill never told her the reason why. our heroes then arrive at the ruins of the former Animal X outpost, the sight of which causes Natalie to have bad childhood flashbacks. Daniel asks Natalie what's wrong while Rodney rubs against Natalie, trying to get her attention, Natalie telling Daniel that she's been here, telling him about how her and Bill visited this place when she was a child much to the shock of Daniel. Helena tells the two they should get a move on, followed by the three entering the abandoned building. Rodney zips around looking at the different cryptid specimens in jars of formaldehyde, Dr. Helena picking up one of the jars, one containing a baby snake inside it. Natalie is freaked out, telling her to put that thing down. Helena recognizes it as a specimen of a newborn Anaconda Megatoroccisor, the species name meaning "Giant bull-killer" due to reports of the creature swallowing full-size cattle whole, otherwise known as the Megaconda. Daniel then removes some vines from the wall and finds scribbles on the wall, ones with the words "Beware the Black Dot" written in big bold letters. Daniel then shines his flashlight over skeletons wearing Animal X uniforms followed by Daniel getting scared while Rodney hides behind him. Natalie then shines her flashlight over several empty cages with skeletons of south american cryptids inside them, such as the ground sloth Mapinguari, the mesonychid Tapire-iauara, and the gibbon-like DeLoy's Ape, Natalie shedding a tear feeling sad for all those poor cryptids that were left there to die when the facility was abandoned. Helena places her hand on Natalie's shoulder, telling her that this must have been the Black Dot's doing saying that only they could be this heartless towards living creatures. Natalie then notices another cage with a sign that says "Megaconda" on it, however there's no skeleton in it and the bars are also broken. Natalie tells Rodney to warn the others, however she then hears Daniel screaming. she then turns her head to see a live Megaconda slithering around Daniel, Daniel accidentally stepping on the 13-meter long snake's tail causing it to hiss at Daniel followed by Daniel freaking out at the sight of the bus-sized snake only for it to coil its body around him causing Daniel to start suffocating. Dr. Helena then tells Daniel to stay calm, however the Megaconda grabs her by the leg and tries to constrict her leaving Natalie as the only one that can save them. Helena tells Natalie to hit the snake with her electric batons, however Natalie tells them that she can't do it saying that she's too scared. Daniel then tells Natalie that he believes she can do it, followed by Natalie confessing to the two that the reason behind her snake fear was because she was almost eaten by the Megaconda when she was a child. Daniel and Helena are shocked by this revelation, Helena telling Natalie she had no idea. Daniel then tells Natalie to put her snake fear aside and save them, Daniel telling Natalie that she's awesome and that he's always been striving to be just like her ever since he got recruited into Animal X. Natalie then regains her confidence and whips out her twin electric batons before putting them together to form a bo staff to hit the Megaconda electrocuting it causing the supersized serpent to free Daniel and Dr. Helena. The two congratulate Natalie on her bravery, however Natalie looks at the unconscious Megaconda and feels guilty for her actions, as she went against Animal X regulations by harming a cryptid. Helena then tells Natalie that the Megaconda is not dead, just unconscious due to the shock. Natalie then radios Bill, telling him that the Megaconda has been neutralized and that all they need to do is relocate the creature away from human settlement to prevent it from being seen. Daniel then swipes the communicator from Natalie's hand and tells Bill that Natalie saved his and Dr. Helena from becoming snake food, Bill being proud of Natalie for overcoming her fear of snakes upon hearing this news. we then cut to Animal X personnel transporting the massive snake out of the building via helicopter and into the nearby jungle. the Megaconda then wakes up and looks at Natalie who no longer fears the creature before it slithers off into the dense rainforest undergrowth, Natalie gaining some respect for snakes in the process. Daniel then places his hand on Natalie's shoulder, thanking her for saving him and Helena agreeing. Rodney then circles around Daniel and Helena, nuzzling against them happy for them to be alive. we then cut to the X-jeep returning to Animal X HQ where we see Bill telling Natalie that he's proud of her for overcoming her fears like that, Natalie thanking Bill for recognizing her bravery. Dr. Helena then tells Bill that there's something she needs to show him that she found in the abandoned base, but only in private. we then cut to Bill's office where Dr. Helena shows Bill a photo of the wall of the abandoned base that has the words "beware the black dot" written on it. Bill takes one look at it and realizes that this is worse than he thought, telling her that the black dot has been targeting animal X outposts and taking them out one by one. Bill then tells Helena that this is something they need to warn the Animal X Natural mystery unit's international branches of before it's too late. our episode then ends with Bill looking at an old photo of him with Natalie's parents reminding himself of the promise he made to them to protect their daughter.