Animal X: Natural Mystery Unit the Complete Season 2

Episode 7: Tentacled Terror

Featured Cryptid: Lusca

Our episode opens up with the twins returning to Domino's airship where the twins kneel before their father, Domino happy to see his "children" again. the twins report to Domino that Ivan, El Toro, and Adewale have all been defeated by the Animal X Natural Mystery Unit. Domino sighs, telling them that sometime you just have to do the job yourself, all the while Doctor Uno watches from outside the door before returning to his secret where we see Blake sleeping inside a tank of liquid while connected to several life support tubes the poor blind man missing his arms and legs leaving him as just a body with a head. Uno places his hand on the glass telling his old friend that soon he will awaken once he completes the enhancements, telling the unconscious Blake that he should be grateful for being a descendant of the Leeds family as his demon blood is what's keeping him alive. after that, we cut back to Domino who informs the twins that his next scheme is to dive down to the depths of the Blue holes in the Bahamas in search of a giant octopus that is said to live there, saying that its ink could prove valuable on the black market. after that, we cut to Animal X HQ where we see Daniel in his personal quarters reading up on the history of the Firstborn and the lost continent of Atlantis in the Cryptozoologicon, fascinated by how a technologically-advanced civilization could exist during prehistoric times and vanish without a trace. Tony then sneaks up behind Daniel and asks what he's reading, which scares Daniel causing him to drop the Cryptozoologicon. Daniel then picks up the book and tells Tony that he was reading all about the firstborn, Tony asking what the "firstborn" are. Daniel explains to Tony that the firstborn were the first hominid species to develop civilization millions of years ago during the Pleistocene and were endemic to the lost eighth continent of Atlantis but were wiped out in a cataclysm that caused the whole continent to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Tony is fascinated by this story, asking Daniel if the ruins of Atlantis have ever been found. Daniel tells Tony that he doesn't know, saying that he just found out about all this stuff. Helena then enters the room along with Rodney who starts zipping around Tony's head, Tony shooing the little skyfish away before asking his mother what he's doing here. Helena then tells Daniel that Bill has a mission for him and Natalie. we then cut to Daniel, Natalie, and Rodney entering Bill's office where Bill explains to Daniel and Natalie that Black Dot activity has been detected in the Blue Holes located near the Bahamas. Daniel gets excited upon hearing Bill mention the Bahamas, saying that he needed another vacation. Bill then tells Daniel not so fast, telling him that this is no vacation. he goes on to explain that the Blue holes hold a secret that no one but the Animal X Natural Mystery Unit knows about: the sunken ruins of the lost continent of Atlantis. Daniel is amazed by this, asking Bill if he's ever been to the sunken ruins of Atlantis. Bill then tells Daniel yes, saying that he went on an expedition to the ruins of Atlantis with Don and Maria back during his Cryptozoologist days. Natalie then asks Bill what the Black Dot would want with the ruins of Atlantis. Bill then explains to our heroes that guarding the ruins of Atlantis is a giant octopus known as the Lusca, saying that he believes it's the octopus that they want. Daniel then raises his hand and asks if there's still time for a vaction. Bill tells Daniel that there's no time for a vacation as they need to focus on the mission if they are to stop whatever scheme Domino has planned. we then cut to Daniel, Natalie, and Rodney hopping into the X-Jeep. Daniel asks Natalie if there's really a giant octopus guarding the ruins of Atlantis, and Natalie says yes which makes him feel terrified, poor Rodney hiding behind Daniel's back the little skyfish being just as terrified as Daniel is. Natalie then tells the two to grow up before activating the X-Jeep's flight mode and blasting off. we then cut to the X-jeep flying over the largest blue hole in the Bahamas, Natalie telling Daniel to buckle up because it's gonna be a long dive, followed by the X-jeep transforming into submarine mode to descend into the deep dark waters of the blue hole, Daniel and Rodney both in awe of the vastness of the sea cave and all the strange rock formations as the X-jeep makes its way through the underwater tunnel, Rodney zipping all around the interior of the X-jeep with excitement. Natalie then explains to Daniel that the blue holes are gateways to a vast network of interconnected underwater cave system, all of which lead to the secret location of the ruins of Atlantis. Daniel then opens up the Cryptozoologicon and starts reading up on the Lusca, scientific name Octopus Giganteus, is a colossal species of Octopus native to secluded areas of the Carribbean capable of growing up to 100 feet long from the top of the mantle to the tip of the arms. these giant cephalopods are ancient in nature, secretly dwelling in the dark depths of the oceans for millions of years and were worshipped by the firstborn as sea-gods at one point. our heroes then feel the X-Jeep suddenly shake which scares poor little Rodney. Daniel then looks out the window to see a giant tentacle stuck to the side of the X-jeep, the massive suction cups pressing up against the glass. Rodney and Daniel both freak out, followed by Natalie telling the two to hang on before activating the X-jeep's thrusters allowing the vehicle to free itself from the giant octopus's tentacles followed by the Lusca squirting a cloud of black ink leaving our heroes unable to see where they're going. Natalie then uses the X-Jeep's radar to navigate the cave systems. our heroes eventually find the exit and escape the sea caves. the X-Jeep then stops as our heroes realize that they've come across the ruins of Atlantis, Daniel, Natalie, and Rodney all in awe of the beautiful sunken city, the abandoned buildings encrusted with colorful coral that acts as a home to various tropical fish species, including some undiscovered by science. Daniel flips through the Cryptozoologicon and is amazed to see the ruins look just like the illustrations of the firstborn capital city depicted in the book, all the while Natalie notices piles of Skeletons littering the seafloor, realizing that the continent sinking into the ocean didn't just cause the extinction of the firstborn but several different species of animals as well that have now been lost forever. however before Daniel and Natalie can explore further our heroes are then confronted by the twins in a submersible who demand our heroes to move saying that they're here for the giant octopus and that they'd rather not have them getting in the way. Natalie then tells the twins that she refuses to let them harm another cryptid. the twins then push the button that causes their submersible to fire a barrage of torpedoes at the X-jeep which managed to dodge the projectiles much to the frustration of the twins. a juvenile Lusca smaller then the massive adult we saw earlier then shows up to attack Cloak and Dagger's submersible allowing Daniel and Natalie to escape. the X-jeep then lands in front of the ruined capital building of Atlantis followed by Daniel and Natalie putting on their scuba gear Daniel telling Rodney to stay put before him and Natalie eject from the vehicle and enter the ruins of the capital building. Natalie then examines the hieroglyphs that line the building wall, wondering what they mean. Daniel is confused by what Natalie's looking at saying that all he sees is a bunch of squiggly lines. Natalie then tells Daniel he's an idiot and explains to him that these hieroglyphs appear to be of an ancient lost language, most likely the language of the firstborn. Natalie then scans the Atlantean hieroglyphs with a device that translates them into English, Natalie reading it as "above you lies the power crystal". Daniel and Natalie then both look up to see a giant glowing blue crystal hanging from the ceiling. our heroes both swim up towards the ceiling and are in awe of the giant rock. Natalie asks Daniel what he thinks it is, and Daniel tells her that he saw a crystal like this depicted in the books saying that he believes it was the power source of the firstborn's city and their technology. Natalie is amazed, responding to Daniel's statement by saying that the firstborn were quite ahead of their time. after that, we cut back to the juvenile Lusca's tussle with the Twin's submersible. Dagger then tells her sister that she can't wait to rip the ink sac out of that piece of oversized calamari. Cloak then looks at her sister and tells her that she just read her mind before closing her eyes and sensing something within the nearby ruins. Dagger asks her sister what she's sensing, and Cloak tells her sister that it's those pesky animal X agents. Dagger then asks her sister what they're going to do, and Cloak tells her sister that first they bag the octopus and then they'll deal with the Animal X agents. the Submersible then emits an electric shock that causes the juvenile Lusca to let go of the vessel and fall to the ocean floor unconscious. the submersible then fires a large net to ensnare the juvenile Lusca. the twins then ram their submersible into the capital building of Atlantis causing the crystal to fall from the ceiling which Daniel and Natalie successfully dodge. the submersible then bursts through the wall to corner Daniel and Natalie who manage to escape much to the twins's frustration, however they notice the giant crystal lying on the seafloor and realize that they might have found something even more valuable than even Lusca ink. we then cut to Daniel and Natalie returning to the X-Jeep, little Rodney happy to see his people again. Daniel then notices the twins escape with both the Atlantean power crystal and the juvenile Lusca and tells Natalie that they've got to go after them. we then cut to the twin's submersible transforming into an air vehicle to rise out of the water and land on the deck of a large black dot ship similar to the one in "gone fishing". a platoon of Black Dot grunts show up to transport the juvenile Lusca to a holding tank to begin the ink extraction process. Domino and Doctor Uno both arrive on the scene to congratulate the twins on their successful mission, followed by the twins presenting their father with the crystal they found. Domino recognizes it as the Atlantean crystal, remembering the expedition to the ruins of Atlantis he went on with Bill back when they were still friends and fellow cryptozoologists. Domino then congratulates the twins for finding such a valuable relic, all the while Doctor Uno is fascinated with the crystal saying that it's just the power source he was looking for. Uno then orders a bunch of Black Dot grunts to chisel away at the crystal. as the goons begin their work, one of the crystal shards falls to the ground which Uno picks up and puts in his pocket chuckling while thinking about his future plans. however the X-jeep surfaces and Daniel fires his grappling hook for Rodney to catch in his mouth to lift our heroes into the air followed by Daniel, Natalie, and Rodney landing on the vessel to confront Domino and the twins. Daniel fights Cloak while Natalie fights Dagger, Natalie deflecting Dagger's knives with her electric bo staff while Daniel wraps his grappling hook around Cloak. Cloak then breaks free of her restraints and lifts up Daniel with her telekinesis and tosses him into the Ocean, Natalie screaming "NOOO!!!". the twins stand down as Domino approaches Natalie to tell her that Daniel was pathetic, just like her parents. Natalie then gets angry and swings her electric Bo Staff at Domino who blocks her weapon with his cane-sword. Natalie demands Domino to take that back, however Domino refuses to apologize telling her that her parents got what they deserved. however this confrontation is interrupted when Daniel rises out of the water riding on top of a MASSIVE adult Lusca, Daniel's eyes glowing an icy blue, Natalie and Rodney both happy to see him alive. the adult Lusca then wraps its gigantic tentacles around the massive vessel to rock the vessel causing Domino to fall over while Natalie rushes towards the holding tank containing the juvenile lusca where she is horrified to see it hooked up to several tubes that are draining the ink out of it, feeling sorry for the young cephalopod. Natalie however is frozen in place by Cloak's telekinesis, the twins telling her that they won't let her free the creature that they worked so hard to capture. Dagger then puts one of her knives up to Natalie's neck, telling her to hold still. Cloak then shows Natalie a canister of Lusca ink telling her that the Black Dot is gonna profit off of the ink that they're gonna sell on the black market which is why they can't afford having the Animal X Natural Mystery Unit foil their plans. the adult Lusca then rocks the ship a second time, causing the twins to fall over freeing Natalie from Cloak's hold. Natalie then rushes towards the holding tank and frees the juvenile Lusca from its restraints, the large cephalopod swatting the twins aside and tossing several black dot grunts overboard with its tentacles before jumping back into the water, Dagger frustrated by losing the beast. Cloak then assures her sister that not all is lost as they still have something far more valuable than the octopus, Cloak using her telekinesis to leviate the Atlantean power crystal towards her. however Daniel hops off the adult Lusca's mantle running on one of its tentacles before landing on the deck of the ship whipping out the grappling gun and firing it at the Atlantean power crystal the cable wrapping around the large glowing rock followed by Daniel dragging the crystal towards him and Natalie. Daniel's eyes return to normal as the adult Lusca lets go of the vessel and return to the deep while Natalie corners Domino, Doctor Uno, and the twins telling them that they're in big trouble now. however the villains all make an escape on Domino's private jet and escape much to the frustration of Natalie, Daniel assuring Natalie that they'll get them next time all the while little Rodney sticks his tongue out. Natalie asks Daniel what they should do with the crystal, and Daniel tells her that they should probably return it to Atlantis, but he wants to do something first. Daniel then breaks off a piece of the crystal and puts it in his pocket, Natalie asking Daniel what he plans on doing with it. Daniel then assures Natalie that he plans on taking it home as a souvenir from their little adventure in Atlantis. we then cut to Daniel and Natalie scuba diving to the ruins of Atlantis and placing the crystal back into the ceiling where it came from before hopping into the X-Jeep where Daniel notices both the adult and juvenile Lusca swimming beside their vessel before the X-jeep activates its thrusters and blasts off. we then cut to the X-jeep returning to Animal X HQ where they are greeted by Bill and Helena who ask the two how their mission was, Natalie telling them that their mission was a success. Daniel then tells Tony that there's something he wanted to give him and pulls the crystal shard from his pocket, telling him that it's a real Atlantean crystal. Tony then swipes the crystal from Daniel's hand and is amazed by its illuminating beauty. Daniel then tells Tony to keep it and to think of it as a gift. Tony hugs Daniel, telling him "thank you" over and over again. after that, we cut to Domino's airship where Domino is furious over losing both the Lusca and the Atlantean power crystal, Domino taking his anger out on the twins by beating them both repeatedly with his cane. Doctor Uno then interjects, telling Domino that not all is lost showing him the Atlantean crystal shard that he saved, saying that the energy emitted from this crystal could be used as a power source for his new project that will even the playing field with the Animal X Natural mystery unit. Uno then brings Domino into his secret lab where he shows him Blake Leeds still sleeping in the test tube, Uno telling Domino that with this crystal he plans on turning the mauled Bill's own half-brother Blake into a living weapon that will put enemies of the Black Dot in their place, and our episode ends on a cliffhanger with Blake opening his milky white eyes.