Animal X: Natural Mystery Unit the Complete Season 2

Episode 18: A Nightmare on Flatwoods

Featured Cryptid: Flatwoods Monster

Our episode opens with Daniel spending time with the Johnson family camping out in the town of Flatwoods, West Virginia where we see Daniel teaching Cindy how to use her ESPer powers. Cindy tests her newfound powers on the family dog Max closing her eyes as she places her hand on the puppy's forehead to communicate with him telepathically. Daniel asks Cindy if she's feeling anything yet, and Cindy tells her uncle Daniel that she can hear the doggo's every thought and feeling. Daniel asks Cindy to tell him what Max is feeling right now, and Cindy tells Daniel that he feels like Max wants his chew toy followed by Cindy giving Max his favorite squeaky toy elephant. Daniel tells Cindy that she's really getting a hang of this, followed by Cindy making the sly remark "that's because I learn from the best" while winking at her uncle Daniel. Sharon then calls the two into the RV for dinner, which is good news for Daniel since he's starving and he hasn't had Sharon's cooking since he was a kid. as Daniel and Cindy return to the RV, Max spots a shadowy figure moving in the bushes and starts barking like crazy. and out of the bushes comes out a robotic-looking humanoid hovering in the air on its skirt-shaped hovering apparatus with a helmet shaped like an ace of spades and glowing yellow eyes. Cindy turns her head to see Max in trouble and rushes outside to grab the puppy however she is stopped in her tracks by the monster who speaks to her in an alien language with a robotic-sounding filter distorting its voice. the monster then shoots lasers from its eyes at Cindy, however Daniel rushes in to push her out of the way. Daniel tells Cindy to get Max inside and she does, and Daniel then whips out his grappling gun to tie up the monster with his grappling hook. however the mechanical monstrosity breaks free from its restraints and shoots lasers at Daniel who leaps out of the way followed by Daniel calling Natalie for backup, saying that he and the Johnsons got attacked by some weird creature unlike any cryptid they've encountered. Natalie then arrives on the scene in the X-jeep to hit the monster with the vehicle full force. however this doesn't leave a single dent in the monster who fires eye lasers at the X-jeep forcing Natalie to leap out of the vehicle before it is blown to bits. Daniel makes the sarcastic comments "Helena is so gonna kill us". Natalie then whips out her electric batons and rushes up to the monster dodging its optic laser blasts, however before she can land a hit on the mechanical monstrosity the monster grabs Natalie by the neck and starts choking her. Daniel tries to save Natalie by trying to communicate with the monster using his ESPer powers, however they don't work on the creature which confuses Daniel. Rodney then comes to the rescue the little skyfish using his super-speed to rapidly zip around the monster and hit it from all directions before managing to knock the monster's left hand off saving Natalie with Daniel rushing to Natalie's aid to ask if she's okay. Natalie tells Daniel she's fine before turning her head to see the monster's severed mechanical hand lying on the ground. Rodney then rushes in to nuzzle Natalie happy to see her alive while the now one-handed monster retreats back into the forest. Natalie asks what the heck that thing is, and Daniel tells her that he has no idea, saying that it was immune to his ESPer powers. after that, we cut to Daniel and Natalie returning to Animal X HQ to give the severed mechanical hand to Doctor Helena (who is still disappointed in both of them for wrecking the X-jeep) for examination. Bill then shows up to ask Daniel and Natalie what the creature they saw looked like, and Daniel tells Bill that it looked mechanical in nature, had no legs and levitated in the air with this metal skirt-like thing, and it had a head shaped like an ace of spades. Bill is shocked to hear this, saying that Daniel's description perfectly matches that of a creature he encountered during his days as a cryptozoologist that the locals called the "Flatwoods monster". Bill explains that on September 12, 1952 a UFO crashed in the quaint village of Flatwoods, West Virginia and since then the town has been haunted by the Flatwoods monster. no one knew what it exactly was, not even Bill himself could identify the creature when he investigated the sightings, saying that it was unlike any earthly animal... as if it was not of this world. Daniel is shocked to hear this, exclaiming "so wait, you're saying that thing we just encountered was... an alien, as in the flying-in-saucers-take-us-to-your-leader kind? I'm sorry but that can't be real" only for Natalie to interject and tell Daniel that they've encountered many strange creatures on their adventures, aliens can't be that far-fetched. Bill tells Natalie correct, showing our heroes a holographic image of an ancient Mesopotamian tablet depicting seven ancient gods explaining that the ancient Sumerians worshipped a group of deities known as the Annunaki that many UFOlogists and conspiracy theorists believe to be aliens who visited Earth thousands of years ago and were worshipped as gods by primitive civilizations which is referred to as the "Ancient Astronaut theory", and it is very possible that our Flatwoods monster could be one of these ancient astronauts who has unfinished business on Earth. Daniel rolls his eyes, saying that this sounds like something out of Kingdom of the crystal skull only to get elbowed by Natalie. Helena then contacts Daniel and Natalie that she has made a discovery while examining the robot hand, telling them to come to her lab immediately. the two then enter Helena's lab followed by Helena informing the two of her discovery: the hand of the flatwoods monster (and by extension its entire armor) is made of some kind of alien metal not found on Earth. Daniel's jaw drops realizing that Aliens might be real after all, followed by Natalie crossing her arms making the sarcastic comment "told you Bill was right". Helena tells our heroes that what they're dealing with is something that Animal X is ill-equipped to deal with, which means that they'll need outside help if they are to find out what this alien is doing on Earth. she then reveals to our heroes that Animal X isn't the only top-secret organization out there, in fact it is one of many secret societies that specialize in dealing with different types of unexplained phenomena. examples include SPIRIT (Special Paramormal Intelligence and Research Investigation Team) that specializes in dealing with ghosts, and Sector 51 who specialize in dealing with aliens. and they need Sector 51's help right now. Bill then enters the lab to inform Daniel and Natalie that he'll be sending the two of them to Sector 51's base of operations located in Groom Lake, Nevada AKA Area 51 to inform them of the Flatwoods monster sighting. Daniel then says "no way, we're going to Area 51?" as Rodney flies in and starts zipping around Daniel's head with excitement. we then cut to the X-jeep in flight mode hovering over the Nevade desert, where Daniel feels nervous about setting foot near Area 51, since it's a top-secret government facility that forbids the public from setting foot on the property. Natalie tells Daniel she's just as shook, saying that Bill never told her about the existence of aliens or other secret societies before. the X-jeep then lands in the Nevada Desert before they are pulled over by guards who point their guns at our heroes causing little Rodney to hide inside Daniel's pocket. Natalie shows her ID to the agents and informs them that she and Daniel are with the Animal X natural mystery unit and they're here to inform Sector 51 of an alien encounter they had. the guards understand the seriousness of the situation and let them pass, followed by the X-jeep arriving at Sector 51 HQ. Daniel and Natalie along with Rodney exit the vehicle only for them to be greeted by a man in a black suit and tie with a pair of futuristic-looking pistols in his holster and sunglasses covering his eyes. the man introduces himself as Agent Delta, member of Sector 51 the Government of Earth's primary defense against criminals of the extraterrestrial variety. Daniel then looks at him and says "so you guys are basically space cops" only for Natalie to tell him to shush and act professional. we then see Rodney pop out of Daniel's pocket and zip around Delta's head to greet him only for Delta to aim his twin pistols at Rodney followed by Daniel and Natalie begging for him not to shoot, saying that he's their pet. Delta puts his guns down, saying that he thought the creature was a dangerous alien. Natalie tells Delta that he's not an alien he's a skyfish, a cryptid from earth. Delta then asks Natalie what's up with the miniskirt, pointing out how it's not really that practical for combat. Natalie then gets up in Delta's face, telling him "I have you know that my skirt is perfectly practical for combat, and no it does not get in the way while I'm fighting". Daniel then tells Delta "It's because she doesn't like wearing pants" in a sarcastic tone followed by Natalie electrocuting Daniel with one of her electric batons to shut him up. Delta asks the two about their alien problem, and Daniel tells him that on a camping trip with his foster family he saw this thing called the Flatwoods monster, saying that it looked like a robot with a head shaped like an ace of spades. Delta's eyes widen upon hearing this description, realizing the severity of the situation. Delta then tells Daniel and Natalie to come with him and our heroes enter Sector 51 HQ, walking past a prison full of aliens that freak out poor Rodney. Agent Delta explains to our heroes that Sector 51 was founded in 1947 when a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. that was man's first contact with extraterrestrial life, since then the organization has been keeping Earth safe from Extraterrestrial threats. Natalie asks what Sector 51 knows about the Annunaki, and Delta shows them to a door that is guarded by two female agents, Beta and Gamma. Delta asks Beta and Gamma to allow him to speak with Alpha, saying that it's an emergency. Beta asks Delta who the two behind him are, and Delta explains that their names are Daniel Searle and Natalie Schmitt, agents of the Animal X Natural Mystery Unit who were witnesses to the alleged "Flatwoods monster" of West Virginia. Beta and Gamma both understand and grant access to Alpha's office. the two enter and see a giant screen on the wall with an "A" on it, followed by our heroes hearing a voice asking Delta what the meaning of this is. Delta then introduces Daniel and Natalie to Alpha, the anonymous director of Sector 51, saying that he's currently off-planet being Earth's representative in the council of planets. Delta explains to Alpha that the Animal X natural mystery unit has requested their help in solving a case related to the West Virginia cryptid known as the "Flatwoods Monster", which they believe to be of alien origin. Alpha tells them that he is well aware of the creature of Flatwoods, saying that it's return is a bad sign of what's to come. a slideshow of ancient relics found inside a temple located in Tell Brak, Syria resembling the elusive Flatwoods monster dubbed "Eye Idols", Alpha explaining that the creature the people of West Virginia call the Flatwoods monster is an agent of the Annunaki, revealing that the "Ancient Astronauts" theory is true. as it turns out, the Annunaki hail from the planet Nibiru and were the oldest and most advanced civilization in the universe, before they along with their homeworld were eradicated from the galaxy by the Council of planets who felt that their empire had become too powerful for its own good... or so we thought. not only that, but the Annunaki were masters of genetic manipulation and seeked to remake the universe as they saw fit, which led to them paying a visit to prehistoric Earth where they experimented on early Australopithecines splicing them with their own DNA to create Earth's first technologically-advanced Civilization: the Firstborn. the Annunaki blessed the Firstborn with the gift of intelligence along with the mythical ESPer gene, however the Annunaki used the Firstborn as slaves to mine the planet's precious resources for them which led to the Firstborn starting a rebellion against their alien creators and chasing them off Earth. after that the Firstborn led a life of peace and prosperity in the remaining years, until the Annunaki one day returned to Earth to get their revenge and sunk their island continent of Atlantis into the ocean destroying the Firstborn's entire civilization in one fell swoop along with removing the ESPer gene from their descendants, so in the end the Annunaki got the last laugh. Daniel is shocked upon learning this information, shouting "so does that mean I'm half-alien?" followed by Delta saying "you along with the rest of humanity". Natalie asks Alpha what the creature exactly wants, and Alpha speculates that since the Flatwood monster's ship crashed on Earth in the 1950s and has been stranded on Earth for over 60 years, it's probably trying to find a way back home... to the Annunaki mothership. we then cut to the Johnsons in their RV driving through Braxton county, West Virginia with Cindy asking her dad what that thing that attacked her and uncle Daniel was, and James tells her that he doesn't know, but whatever it is he's sure that Animal X is on the case as they always are. the Flatwoods monster watches the RV from the nearby forest and regrows its missing hand and says "long live the Annunaki" in an alien language before summoning a giant metal obelisk that rises out of the ground in the middle of the road causing the Johnson family RV to suddenly crash into it. the Johnsons get out of the RV to investigate, James asking just what the heck that thing is. we then cut to Sector 51 HQ where Daniel and Natalie are shocked to see a giant Metal Obelisk in Braxton County, West Virginia on the TV screen. Daniel asks just what the heck that thing is, and Alpha explains that the Obelisk is a beacon to contact the Annunaki mothership, they must stop it from being activated at all costs or else Earth is done for. Delta then tells Daniel and Natalie that it's best that they get going, and Natalie tells him that the X-jeep was parked outside the base. however Delta tells the two that they don't need the car, saying that he prefers to "travel in style" before our heroes enter Sector 51's vehicle hangar revealing a large flying saucer. Delta explains to our heroes that this UFO is the very same one that crashed in Roswell. our heroes are then greeted by a bunch of small green aliens with big yellow eyes and pointy ears, Delta introducing our heroes to the LGMs (short for little green men) who work for Sector 51 as engineers building all their weapons, gadgets, and vehicles. Delta tells the LGMs that Daniel and Natalie (plus the skyfish) are with him and that they need access to use the UFO. the LGMs grant him access and they all hop in the UFO before flying out of Sector 51 HQ to beam up the X-jeep and fly off to Braxton County. we then cut to the Johnson family being confronted by the Flatwoods monster who grabs Cindy by the neck, staring at her Atlantean crystal while Max barks at the monster. James tries to hit the monster with a baseball bat demanding the monster to let his daughter go only for it to break upon hitting the Flatwoods monster's metal exoskeleton followed by the Flatwoods monster smacking James knocking him on his rear followed by Sharon rushing to her husband's aid. the Flatwoods monster charges up its eye-beams ready to vaporize James and Sharon, however the flying saucer flies in and drops the X-jeep which transforms into battle mode mid-air landing in front of the Johnsons to block the monster's eye-beams to protect the Johnsons, Cindy happy to see her uncle Daniel come to the rescue before turning her head to tell the monster "you're in big trouble now!" followed by the Flatwoods monster taking Cindy's Atlantean crystal before placing it into the Obelisk causing a bunch of glowing blue runes in the Annunaki language to appear on the Obelisk's surface followed by a giant blue beam being fired from the obelisk into the sky getting the attention of the Annunaki mothership (which is shaped like a giant metal space pyramid) somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. we then cut back to Earth where we see Agent Delta and Natalie arrive on the scene to fight off the Flatwoods monster, Delta blasting the monster with his twin pistols while Natalie hits the monster with her electric bo-staff causing the monster to drop Cindy while Daniel in the mech suit tackles the Flatwoods monster and pins it to the ground, repeatedly smacking the creature before ripping its metal exoskeleton off revealing a scaly humanoid alien with a snake-like lower half underneath. Cindy then rushes towards the Obelisk and grabs onto the Atlantean crystal causing her eyes to glow an Icy blue. Daniel hops out of the mech and grabs onto Cindy to pull her along with the crystal away from the Obelisk causing the Obelisk to crumble into dust cutting off the signal to the Annunaki mothership. we then cut back to Earth where Cindy falls unconscious in Daniel's arms, Daniel asking Cindy if she's okay. Cindy wakes up and tells Daniel that she's okay, clutching the Atlantean crystal close to her chest. we then see Agent Delta handcuff the now-armorless and vulnerable Flatwoods monster before taking him to the UFO. Natalie asks Delta where he's going, and Delta tells her that he's taking this alien criminal back to Sector 51 HQ to be incarcerated. he then thanks both Daniel and Natalie for their help before taking off in the UFO. after that, we cut to Daniel and Natalie returning to Animal X HQ where Bill asks Daniel and Natalie how their team-up with Sector 51 went, and Daniel tells Bill "turns out those guys over there weren't half-bad, maybe they'll get their own TV show someday" before winking at the audience while Helena tells Natalie that maybe their paths will cross again in the future. after that, we cut to Tony visiting Blake's prison cell only to find out that Blake is gone ending our episode on a cliffhanger. 

NOTE: this episode was meant to be a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series called Sector 51 that I have planned for the future of what I like to call the unidentified-verse. you can read it here: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/302057633-sector-51