The Anacondas (2025) Movie Script
1
[screaming]
No, please, I beg of you!
No, no, please!
I beg of you!
[screaming, sobbing]
I'm not willing.
I am not willing!
Hey! Hey!
[chanting]
[gasping]
[drumming]
[sobbing]
Please!
I'm not willing!
She was unwilling!
We have angered Quetzalcoatl!
[clamoring]
[roaring]
Irving, Hector,
Amy and Steve
are setting up base camp
half a kilometer away.
You sure you don't want
to get a head start?
We can always leave
a trail for Bella.
And leave the woman we're
hoping is going to fund
the next decade of
expeditions alone
to fend for herself
in the jungle?
I don't think so.
I mean, anyone
can follow a trail.
You don't know
these office types.
Then why is she coming?
She's just going
to slow us down.
She wants to make
sure her money's being spent
the way she wants it.
The last expedition we did,
the exhibit was sold out
for 14 months.
Money's no issue for her.
Yeah.
That 14-month run was
four years ago.
[engine approaches]
Besides, it's always
about money with those types.
Well, I guess it's lucky
for her we have a lead
on that location for the temple.
Oh, there she is.
Be nice.
I'm always nice.
Oh!
I'm always nice.
Dr. Jacobs,
how was your trip?
Rough.
I'm just not
used to small boats.
I just wanted to see a--
Oh.
Not to worry,
we've got GPS trackers,
satellites,
everything you need.
Camp is about
half a kilometer away,
so we can move in right now.
[bug buzzes]
I hope you have some bug spray.
It's easy to get eaten alive
out here at this time of year.
Um, yeah, I did,
but could I borrow yours?
Because mine's buried deep
in my luggage
and I don't want to
rummage around for it.
Of course.
Wouldn't want
to ruin a fresh mani.
This is Jess Mansfield,
our resident
foot in mouth specialist.
She's also an
expert in the region.
What?
I like the colors.
Really.
Um, okay, anything else
you need before we head off?
Um, no, I'm good.
All right, let's head out.
Okay.
A small plane, a minibus,
and then that boat.
I can't believe I made
it here in one piece,
but I thought you'd like to know
that I invited Dr. Stiglitz
to be a keynote speaker
at this year's
museum symposium at your behest.
Has he responded?
Mm-mm.
That's just like him.
Well, I'm sure that
meant a lot to him.
Retirement hasn't
been easy for Augustine.
Well, if he keeps declining
public speaking engagements,
the public will stop
engaging with him.
Oh, I'm sure he'll be out
on the appearance circuit
next time he writes
his big book.
Yeah, when will that be?
The last one was five years ago.
Oh, I'd love to sit.
If you ask me,
Augustine hasn't been the same
since his last expedition.
That's why I informed him,
I intend to stand up.
Thanks.
So what made you want to come
out on this expedition, Bella?
Dr. Jacobs.
No, Bella...
Bella is fine.
And that's a fair
question, Jess.
I guess I was just a
tiny bit jealous of Marlene
and all the time she gets
to spend in the field.
I mean, you both know I got my
PhD in museum studies from SUNY,
and it's just not
that exciting, you know?
And I just felt isolated and
secluded, and I just wanted...
Oh.
It'll get you.
Thanks, Marlene.
I guess I just wanted
to feel
the dirt in my fingers,
you know?
And hold these artifacts
in their natural habitat,
and then authorize and negotiate
cultural property agreements
with Mexico's Ministry
of Culture
for temporary loans of
those very same artifacts.
That's when the
real adventure begins.
Yeah.
Come on.
Yeah, then it is an adventure.
How could I pass up
the opportunity
to tour long-lost Aztec ruins
with a private local guide?
I mean, that is a dream.
[rustling]
What is that?
[rustling continues]
-Get behind me.
-Okay.
Is that a...
Jaguar?
If it were a jaguar,
we'd be dead already.
Wait, is someone
coming to meet us?
Everyone should be back at camp.
Everyone...
take one step back.
Yaretzi, you were supposed
to meet us at the camp.
Everyone, this is
Yaretzi Tlacaelel.
He's our local guide.
Yaretzi?
I won't even attempt your
last name, I'll slaughter it.
Pardon me, Dr. Bella Jacobs,
Chief Curator, World History
Museum, Los Angeles County.
Pleasure to meet you.
Shall we head to camp?
Yes.
Lead the way.
Let's go.
[grunting]
I told him,
just stay with us.
It's gonna be nightfall soon.
Still no sign of them.
Well, I gave Jess
our coordinates.
They should be here soon.
Should have given them
to Marlene.
Sure, her assistant's great,
but Marlene--
Has the utmost faith in
her choice of assistants?
Oh!
Next time I'll stay at camp
and you can fight off the
jaguar we almost ran into.
Doctor, we're just
starting to get worried.
Had to show Dr. Jacobs
the scenic route.
Oh, everyone,
Yaretzi Tlacaelel.
Our guide.
With your guidance,
we will treat this place
with the utmost respect
it deserves Senor...
Tilly-Tale, Toliki...
Tlacaelel.
Hmm?
Ta-lac-el.
Thank you.
I look forward
to working with you all
in discovering
my ancestral homelands
and presenting the rich and
powerful heritage of my people,
the chosen people,
in your museum.
Many artifacts and symbols
of our sophisticated culture
are still hidden deep within
the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.
Doctora Potts, this includes
the Ehecacozcatl.
Few pieces like it ever
survived the Spanish conquest
and none have been
unearthed fully intact.
We may have the rare
opportunity to recover
the first Ehecacozcatl
in one piece
for the first time
in six centuries.
How can you be so sure?
Well, most people say
the Temple was destroyed
and those who
have searched for it
come home empty-handed
if they've come home at all.
And why is that?
Because a group of
Quetzalcoatl cultists
make human sacrifices.
But I thought that Quetzalcoatl
was against the practice
of human sacrifice.
True.
But this group, if the
legends are true, of course,
believe that sacrifices will
get them closer to Quetzalcoatl.
That only the truest
of true believers
could commit such acts.
So it will likely be
a small temple
since it was a small cult.
It's most likely swallowed up
by the jungle for six centuries.
We could be venturing
into nothing, though.
Nothing? But I--
There's always a risk,
but we mitigate that risk
by having experts like
Senor Tlacaelel to guide us.
No one has seen or even touched
a fully intact Ehecacozcatl.
-No one?
-No one.
Well, someone got close.
Wait, I'm confused.
Someone did or...
You know him.
Dr. Stiglitz.
Ah.
Right.
Is that what drove him
to an early retirement,
searching for a
complete Ehecacozcatl?
Well, I can tell you,
he might have succeeded
if he had what we have,
our secret weapon,
Senor Tlacaelel.
It's thanks to him
that we know
exactly where
to look for the temple.
Well, Steve, why don't
you show Bella to her tent?
I'm sure she's tired
and could settle in.
Hi, Steve Hill,
one of the field techs.
Hi, nice to meet you.
I'm Bella Jacob.
I can show you to
your tent, huh?
Oh, okay.
Don't mind if I do.
Wow, you're so strong.
[sighs]
So?
How's Bella doing?
Is she in a...
I'm gonna fund you
for a decade mood,
or this is your
last exhibition mood?
Too soon to tell.
Although I'm optimistic.
She seems excited.
Well, yeah, it's her...
It's her last chance at
joining an expedition
before she pulls funding.
Oh, do you not know?
Am I seriously the one breaking
this news to you right now?
Well, um...
Ever since the White House
pulled major
federal grant programs,
trustees have been,
like, skittish.
Donors and sponsors have been
putting major pressure on Bella
to secure another
Tutankhamen-sized exhibit.
Maybe you should get in touch
with Dr. Stiglitz after all.
I already have.
Hmm.
Hey, I finally, finally
finished your schedule.
Ah, thank you, Peter.
It's all good to go.
Here, read this for me.
I haven't got my glasses.
Yeah, what is it?
Is it your birthday?
Well, happy birthday.
Just read it.
Um, let's see.
"I know how much you hate
being another year older,
"but not nearly as much as
you like being upstaged.
"So let me distract you from
the former with the latter.
"I'm going for it.
"This time with W.H.M. funding.
This is my birthday gift
to you, Marlene."
She's going for what?
And is this Dr. Potts?
[grunts]
Come.
There's work to do.
So basically, I just
yell out "earthquake"
because everything's shaking.
Everyone runs to the exit
except for Marlene.
She literally dives for it,
dives for the vase
at the very last second
and catches it
just before it hits the ground.
I had no idea that that
piece made such a journey.
It was one of my favorites from
last year's Mycenaean exhibit.
Marlene, what's your favorite
artifact you discovered?
There was this necklace,
ornate with jewels,
emeralds, rubies,
adorned on a golden chain.
It belonged to a queen, but
we found it in a mass tomb.
Why was it there?
There were a couple
of theories about that.
One was a coup, but then we
would have found other royals
with similar jewels,
so that was unlikely.
It could have been
a gift to a servant
from a royal friend
before they died.
Or it could have been a thief
clutching it for an eternity.
Well, what do you think?
I like to think that
it did belong to a queen,
a leader of her people
who went into battle
fighting for her people
till their very last breath.
They were a coward.
What makes you think that?
Royals never spent
time with peasants.
It was beneath them.
The woman who wore your necklace
was fleeing the battle,
leaving her people to die.
It was likely hiding
somewhere in her clothes
or somewhere even more hidden.
You know, that's the funny thing
about undocumented history.
We never truly know.
That's why it's our job
to piece together the past,
to learn.
Well, it's getting late.
We've got a long journey
ahead of us tomorrow.
Let's get some rest.
I guess I'll take first watch.
Just had some coffee,
so I'm wired.
[snoring]
[twig snaps]
[snores]
[hissing]
[grunts]
[gags]
[groans]
[gunshots]
-What was it?
-Did you hear that?
[coughing]
-You okay?
-Yeah, yeah, I'm good.
Good Lord, look at the size
of this thing.
It has to be a 20-footer.
25-footer.
It's a green anaconda.
Yaretzi, what's up?
Everything okay?
No, it isn't.
Steve, watch out.
Don't get so close.
Don't worry, it's very dead.
It's also very far from home.
This can't be a green anaconda.
What's it doing 2,000 miles
north of its natural habitat?
2,000 miles?
You're talking, what?
Venezuela, Ecuador?
She's right.
Anacondas aren't native
to this region,
or this country for that matter.
Pythons, sure, some in Mexico,
but this one must
have gotten lost.
2,000 miles is a
long way to get lost.
If the legends are true,
there's a green anaconda
at the bottom of the temple pit.
believed to be
Quetzalcoatl himself,
trapped in this earthly form.
Oh, and you didn't
think to tell us about this
super snake until just now?
Obviously, it's not true.
Probably just a boa constrictor,
anaconda of great length.
But we don't know what's
down there for sure.
Great length?
25 feet is great length.
Are you sure we didn't
just kill it?
That was half a millennia ago.
No matter what they believed,
there's no way that it
would have lived this long.
Irv, you okay?
Oh, yeah.
Not every day you almost get
choked out by a giant snake.
You know?
Fortunately, no, I don't.
Phew.
Here, have some water.
Listen, if you need
to take some time,
I can arrange it for you
to get back to the mainland.
No pressure to continue.
What's a better story?
I almost got choked out
by a giant snake,
so I packed my stuff
and went home,
or I almost got choked out
by a giant snake
before we found a rare
priceless eheka-doodle-dackle,
whatever you're calling it,
in a lost temple that we haven't
set foot in for six centuries?
The first one sounds
pretty good,
but I'm kind of leaning
towards the second one.
The second one sounds good.
Yes, hello.
This is Dr. Augustine Stiglitz.
I'm calling for Bella Jacobs.
She reached out to me
about a speaking engagement
at your museum.
Ah...
Well, when do you
expect her return?
She is the curator of your
facility, is she not?
Do you mind if I ask
the nature of this expedition?
Chiapas?
No, I know the area.
Yes, quite well in fact.
Well, um, please let her know
that I called, and thank you.
What's happened?
Something the matter?
She's gone to southern Mexico.
Dr. Potts.
With financial backing from
the World History Museum.
Wait, but they pulled
all the funding...
Yes, yes, thank you, Peter.
We don't need to get
into that nonsense now.
That birthday card.
Lord knows I hate cheap
sentimentality like that.
-And she knows this.
-Mm-hmm.
And Marlene would never dare
directly tell me to my face
what she was planning to do.
-Because of the...
-Museum?
Yes. Yes, indeed.
Hence the card.
Just... easier.
So then what is she doing?
Oh, Peter, don't you see?
She's gone to Socunusco
to find the Ehecacozcatl.
The one she's always
been planning to get.
And the one that
I could never find.
But you proved it doesn't exist.
No, I just proved that
I couldn't find it.
Reach out to the WHM.
Decline their kind offer
on behalf of your employer.
And send them
a signed copy of my book
for their silent auction.
Oh, and Peter?
Perhaps you might read it
before you do.
We're entering
uncharted territory.
Could be rougher
terrain out there.
So is this how all these go?
Sometimes it's jungle,
sometimes it's desert.
Desert's easier as long
as you have enough water.
Give me this any day
over the desert.
Absolutely not.
Have you been to the Arctic?
Blinding.
Heat, I can deal with,
but cold, unforgiving.
Look out!
[shouts]
It is an omen.
Quetzalcoatl.
He does not want us to be here.
I mean, we have to be here.
I mean, we have
to move on through.
I don't know about you people,
but I don't want to wait
for another snake to show up.
Bella, if Yaretzi says
that it's too dangerous--
Marlene....
As the chief curator
for the museum
and the one
funding this excursion,
I need artifacts,
so I say we press on.
Marlene?
You okay?
Let's go.
Marlene, take a look at this.
Oh, now this is what
I'm talking about.
Not gonna lie,
I didn't think we'd find shit.
[laughing]
Temple of Quetzalcoatl
must not be
approached with negligence.
You did it, Yaretzi.
Follow me, stay close.
Remember, we're
in an ancient ruin.
It's important to be cautious.
Careful, we must not
disturb Quetzalcoatl.
To think this place has been
left untouched for centuries.
By anything other
than Mother Nature.
Wow, this is like
a wine cellar.
This is where it happened.
I'm not willing!
The cultists made
the blood sacrifices
right here in this very chamber.
So... the murders
happened in here?
Sacrifices to Quetzalcoatl,
the God of Wind and Creation.
Here, take this.
[beeps]
Hey, guys.
The pit, it's been sealed shut.
Well, maybe Quetzalcoatl
was sick of all
this blood and death.
Okay, 3D-surveying
systems up and running.
I'll have the geovector online
and ready to fly in five.
Okay, Irv, you reading this?
Yeah, data sets initiating.
And data sets received.
All right, we're good to go.
So, the artifacts,
the relics and scrolls,
they just show up
on this map here?
Marlene.
So, we've got
everything on the schematics.
-Now what?
-Now what?
What does "now what"
mean, Marlene?
Well, then, I don't know.
We must not be
in the right place.
I hope the geovector can give
us some more options here.
You got all of our images.
Everything's coming in clear.
Oh, I've got it all.
Everything that's here
and what isn't.
It's, um...
is this, this is it?
I mean...
Don't get me wrong,
it's incredible.
It's just that, um...
Okay, okay.
I was only able
to secure funding
for this little
excursion of yours
because I promised an
entire board of trustees
that I would return
with a complete collection
and exhibit of
ancient artifacts.
I cannot go back to
L.A. without the, well,
we cannot go back to L.A.
without Ehecacozcatl.
You do realize that, right?
Are you being serious right now?
Heads up, everybody.
I'm bringing the
drone back to base.
The insurance alone on
sending a group out like this
is staggering.
Budgets are shrinking.
Just loaning collections
now is more profitable.
Not as exciting,
but budget-friendly.
Marlene, I cannot have any more
surprises the next time,
or there won't be a next time.
Bella, you know as well as I do
that history does not exist
to be bought or sold.
Those organizations,
those people,
they only see dollar signs.
But you see what I see.
Ancient history coming alive,
uniting us in our humanity.
That's why we do what we do.
We have to keep searching.
Okay, well, let's bring
back some artifacts,
and this conversation
never happened.
Watch your heads,
drone incoming.
[coughing]
What the heck?
Where did all this
wind come from?
Where's the drone?
I'm losing...
I'm losing it.
I can't see anything
in this dust.
[coughing]
We can't stay in here.
Everyone, we need
to get out of here.
Go, go, go!
Keep moving!
Keep moving forward!
Run!
Steve!
It wasn't my fault, Marlene!
Do you know what your
careless mistake cost us?
Marlene! Marlene!
We're safe! We're safe!
That is all that matters.
Let's just set up camp
before it gets dark.
Reassess when we
have clearer heads.
Come on, we'll figure this out.
Hey, is it really true
that the Aztecs
were performing
ritual sacrifice?
Oh, yes, true indeed.
In fact, the Aztec armies would
capture their prisoners of war
and sacrifice
them to their gods.
Wow, dude, that's crazy.
I mean, you read about
stuff like this,
but to think that those people
actually did those things?
And why?
You enjoying retirement?
Well, what else is
there left to accomplish?
You know, I've discovered
ruins and relics
the world had long
thought lost forever.
I've travelled to the
four corners of the globe.
I've written many books
about these places,
and some have been turned
into some pretty decent movies.
Others, eh?
Not so much.
So, now I'm retired.
Why do you ask about sacrifices?
Well, there's something
you wrote in your book.
It was, uh, right here.
"Aztec religions became
bloodthirsty human sacrifice.
"It became important in
maintaining cosmic order.
"The high priests believed
that the sun
needed human blood
just to rise and set."
-Well, yes, of course.
-Crazy.
The sun has always been
essential to human civilization,
but the Aztecs also believed
that Quetzalcoatl
was the god of creation
and that he spilled his blood
to bring humanity into life.
But oddly, he was against the
sacrifice of the unwilling...
-Really?
-And blood rituals in general.
I wonder what it
is that Marlene has found
that makes her think that the
Ehecacozcatl is in Chiapas?
The temple of Quetzalcoatl.
Perhaps she's found it.
But then, why would the
Ehecacozcatl be there?
Well, maybe they
wanted to hide it
where they didn't think
anyone would look.
Why would you say that?
Well, if Quetzalcoatl was
against human sacrifice,
then no one would be
using the ceremonial breastplate
in the place of worship, right?
So maybe they hid it there
because no one
would look for it.
Hmm.
You know, that's not
completely off base.
I gotta say,
I've heard worse suppositions.
-Thank you.
-Cheers.
[rustling]
[rustling]
[bird calls, wings flap]
[screams]
[gunshots]
Did you hear that?
Did you guys hear that?
Yeah.
-Where's Steve?
-Is everyone else here?
Steve! Steve!
-Steve!
-Steve!
We should call
search and rescue.
They can do an aerial search.
We need to find Steve
or the expedition is over.
We need to find him.
Every moment counts.
All right, Jess and Bella,
you stay here.
You try and contact Air Rescue.
Irv, Amy, take the gun.
Go back to where we came from.
See if you can find Steve
or his tracks, anything.
Look.
Yaretzi?
Hector and I,
we're gonna go west.
Everyone, meet back here
in 15 minutes.
-You got it?
-Copy.
Yep.
[panting]
[beeps]
Air Rescue, come in.
We have a missing person.
Please, come in.
Air Rescue, this is
Dr. Bella Jacobs.
We have a missing
person emergency.
I repeat, a missing
person emergency.
Over.
I hope they find him.
He seems like
such a good guy.
Steve, are you hurt?
Come on, buddy, make
a sound if you can hear us.
Steve?
-Steve!
-Steve!
Hide and seek's over, buddy.
Steve, answer us, please.
Just keep going.
-Steve!
-Steve!
[static]
Air Rescue?
Air Rescue?
Maybe Yaretzi's right.
Maybe there is bad energy here.
Air Rescue, please, come in.
We have a missing person.
Please, we're
in need of assistance.
[sighs]
Damn.
-Steve!
-Steve!
Steve, come on!
Steve!
God, I've never lost anyone
on an expedition before.
We haven't lost anyone just yet.
What is it?
Look at the size of
this snakeskin.
This is out here with us.
[rustling]
What's up?
Did you find Steve?
No, we found this.
-Oh!
-Oh...
Holy snakeskin.
It's fresh, recently shed,
let's see, 12, 24 hours maybe.
How can you tell?
It's pliable, supple,
it's not dry and brittle.
This is one massive snake.
It's bigger than
one that almost got me.
That's not funny.
Yeah, I think we should go home.
We should not.
Why not?
Evil energy will
follow us wherever we go.
I'm sorry, so we're just
kind of stuck here forever
because you're all
too scared to just leave
because of some
religious superstition?
We must find the evil energy
to feed it.
Then and only
then can we leave safely.
How do you find that energy?
Much less, um, destroy it.
We head back to the temple.
Okay, uh, may I remind you
that the geovector scan
didn't find anything.
There is nothing undiscovered
inside that temple.
What about Steve?
Maybe he's there.
Bella's right.
We can't leave without Steve.
We all need to stick together.
So then we head back to the
temple to look for Steve.
Yeah, fine.
Fine.
If it were one of us,
he wouldn't give up.
Steve wouldn't give up.
We have to keep going.
Yeah.
Great.
We need to head out.
Let's go.
I'm going to
hang back for a second
and try one more time
to contact Air Rescue.
Hector, just hurry up.
We can't wait for you.
[static]
Okay.
Air Control, do you copy?
Over.
Air Control, do you copy?
Over.
Air Control, do you copy?
We hear you.
Who are you?
Air Control, this
is Hector Rojas.
I'm part of
the museum excavation.
We have lost one of our members.
What is your location?
My location, uh...
[screams]
What is
your location, sir?
Steve?
Steve!
The pit, it's open.
Okay, well, I don't
think Steve's down there,
so let's keep moving.
Okay, we're good.
It's totally empty in here.
Guys, I don't think
he came this way.
It's the most obvious path
unless there are passages
we have yet to discover.
Why would he come down this way?
Steve being Steve.
[rumbling]
Ah!
[screaming]
No, guys!
Are you okay?
Hold on, we'll help get you out.
[struggling]
[gasps]
Bella!
Bella!
She's dead.
[crying]
Jess? Bella?
Marlene!
[panting]
Bella!
Bella's gone!
Okay...
Okay, all right.
Um...
We need to get Yaretzi
and Jess out.
We have some pulley ropes
in the gear.
I'll check it.
Just hold on.
We're coming.
I think there's a
way out of here.
Let's go.
Yaretzi thinks he's found
a way out!
Okay, be careful.
If you find a way out,
just meet us back at the camp.
[grunting]
Okay, what do you want to do?
Find an exit, too.
[grunting]
How do you know this is an exit?
I don't!
False corridor.
[shouts]
Hey, I came as soon
as you called.
What's the emergency?
Marlene and her expedition.
They've gone missing.
Air Rescue received multiple
distress calls from her team.
They've all since disappeared.
I've been on the phone
with Search and Rescue
and the U.S. Embassy.
They're apparently
gathering information.
Well, you know what?
They can gather all the
information they like.
I'm going down there.
Auggie, you cannot seriously
be considering
going down to Mexico right now.
What do you suggest I do?
Just sit here on my hands
and do nothing, my dear boy?
I would argue that
I'm indirectly responsible
for her being down there.
Come on, we have to leave.
I've been to that area
and that terrain can be
extremely vicious.
We haven't got
a moment to waste.
Air Rescue last heard from
them seven hours ago.
We can be on the ground
in Chiapas in four.
Come here.
Now, get these.
Come on.
Chop, chop.
We haven't got a moment to lose.
You brought your
passport with you?
-It's in the car.
-Let's go.
Be careful, we don't want
to trigger any more traps.
Do you think Hector was
able to reach them?
I hope, and that
help arrives soon.
What are we going
to tell the museum?
I don't know.
We need to figure out
how to get out first.
It's colder down this hall.
Could mean a tunnel or an exit.
[beeping]
Shh.
[beeping]
You hear that?
It's close.
[beeping]
Let me ask the others.
Jess? Is that you?
No, shh.
[rumbling]
-Do you feel that?
-[beeping]
Something's coming.
Marlene...
Who had the other radio?
Hector.
How could he be...
Run!
Run!
We need to find an exit!
Ah!
Irv!
Come on!
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-Just go, just go, just go!
-No, no, no!
Go, go!
I'll see you out there, okay?
[grunting]
[groans]
Ow...
[hissing]
[gun cocks]
Swallow this,
you big son of a bitch.
[screams]
[crying]
Dry your tears!
[rumbling]
Wait...
Wait, wait, wait.
Is that...
We need to get out of here.
It could be getting bigger.
What?
Come on!
[grunting]
Come on!
There has to be a way out!
We can't just be stuck
here until Marlene finds us.
This tunnel, it was used
by prisoners, right?
There had to be a way for them
to come in and get them out.
There's something on the ground.
Where?
There's a tablet on the ground.
It has an etching
of Quetzalcoatl on it.
Okay, okay, okay,
I see it, I see it.
If...
If we press it, we may...
may just be able
to get out of here.
How do you know?
There are no skeletons in here.
There has to be a way out.
This is our only chance.
-Okay.
-We have to take it.
Okay.
Press the tile.
Press the tile.
[grunting]
Reach, reach!
You almost got it!
Come on, come on!
Okay, okay, I got it.
I'm gonna get it.
Damn it!
I lost the flashlight.
[growls]
I just need something
to reach it.
Try reaching under the bars!
[gasps]
[panting]
I think we lost it.
Irving, we just...
We just left him, we left him.
He got eaten!
Amy, we don't have
time for that.
We've got to go warn
Jess and Yaretzi.
Can you do that?
Uh-huh.
Okay, you got it?
-Okay, let's go.
-Okay.
[whimpers]
Help!
Help!
We're down here, somebody!
They cannot hear us down here.
This is a prison,
the walls are too thick.
[grunting]
[sobbing]
Tlapoa.
[grinding]
You said something!
You said something
and it opened!
What did you say?
Tlapoa.
In ancient Nahuatl,
it means "to open."
Why didn't you do that
in the first place?
Your bantering gave me the idea.
Come on, watch where you walk,
it could all be rigged.
In roughly 24 hours,
the solar cycle will reach
its maximum phase or peak.
Meaning what?
Sorry, I'm a little lost, I
haven't finished your book yet.
Well, when the solar cycle
reaches its peak,
it's exactly when
the Aztecs
would increase their
human sacrifice rituals.
More blood spilled.
The temple at Quetzalcoatl
was infamous for the amount
of blood shed there.
If Marlene has in fact
found this temple,
and something has
been awakened inside,
then it's very hard to prevent
it from escaping the temple,
and frankly, putting
the whole world in jeopardy.
All because of
the solar cycle?
Yeah.
The cosmic imbalance has long
had a devastating effect
on civilization for centuries.
Great, so we've got,
what, like 24 hours?
Coo, we got this.
Fine, it's fine.
Have you seen "24?"
They got a lot done.
We're only getting deeper
into this temple.
A library.
Wow.
Serpents, they're everywhere.
Look at this, Amy.
Ancient iconography.
It's the symbol for the cult,
early to mid-1400s.
1400s, that's the...
that's the rise of
the Aztec empire
under the ruler, Itzcoatl.
Wait, wait, wait.
Look at this.
It's Nahuatl script,
it's just got the same phrase
over and over and over again.
You're right.
Chosen, the chosen ones,
rulers, chosen to lead.
It's everywhere.
But Emperor Itzlcoatl
rule was not dominated
by this attitude.
Well, not at first.
It was introduced later
towards the end of his rule.
Mid-1400s, the Aztec Empire
became highly militarized,
and human sacrifices
were widely accepted...
under the rule of the royal
advisor Tlacaelel.
Tlacaelel?
-As in, Yaretzi...
-Tlacaelel.
Okay, it's too dark.
We have to be careful so we
don't walk into another trap.
This temple,
the people
who made it
would not have
many traps in here.
Yeah?
Why is that?
They were protected
in other ways.
What do you mean, other ways?
They took measures
to appease the gods.
They took forms on Earth
that represented
their power absolute.
What does that mean?
Pray you never have to find out.
[panting]
[rumbling]
What was that?
We need to keep moving.
It's not safe here.
The temple housed
what they believed to be
Quetzalcoatl in his earthly
form, feathered serpents.
He would grow large
and larger
with every sacrifice
he was offered.
There was another theory,
the Tlacateuctli belief.
And that means
"protector," right?
This temple was not built
to house but to imprison.
As a way to protect
the world from the danger
and the havoc it would wreak
if it was ever
released from
this sacred land.
Yeah, but this temple,
it's falling apart.
Yeah, thanks to us
and the collapse.
The sacrificial pit
has been reopened
and the danger reawakened.
So how are we going
to kill this thing?
Kill it?
In my experience,
gods don't die that easily.
So what are we going to do?
Are we just going
to let this thing
become the dominant apex
predator on the planet
and destroy everything?
Peter, now listen, this area
can be very unforgiving.
So stay close,
listen to every word I say
and whatever you do,
do not stray apart.
Okay?
Give me the guns.
Auggie, I'm staying here.
Okay, if this goes south,
you need someone at base camp.
Okay?
Okay.
Stay safe.
I'll see you.
Okay. We need to look and find
something that's going to help
lead us to Jess and Yaretzi.
The map, maybe?
Wait, check this out.
That looks like a
drawing of the temple.
What it must have looked like.
Perfect.
Then where are we in all this?
We're probably
three stories down
to preserve the humidity
of the scrolls.
Okay, if we entered here...
Uh-huh.
Got separated here,
Okay, then this is where
they'd probably be.
So you think Jess is here?
You should wear this.
That would be
highly inappropriate.
I insist.
It will protect you.
Protection from what?
It is your destiny.
The gods are watching,
and I won't take no
for an answer.
Yaretzi...
You... you're scaring me.
We're just a few hallways away.
Be on the look out for traps.
[low rumbling]
Where is it?
[animal shrieking]
[whispers]
Go, go.
This way.
[screams]
[quiet sobbing]
You look perfect.
This feels really inappropriate.
I can assure you, everything
is as it should be.
Yeah, I really think that,
you know, I should
take this off
and we could just find
an exit and get out of here.
That not gonna happen.
What do you mean?
I have bigger plans for you.
Yaretzi, I really think
that, you know,
we could just go find
the others and...
We could...
What are you doing?
What I should have done
long ago.
What my ancestors
were to0 cowardly to do.
You don't have to do that.
You don't understand.
I must!
I must!
No, wait, please.
No, please.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
[panting]
Good call.
Going right.
Except we need to go left.
Left?
Isn't there another way?
There is, but it's longer.
Let's take it.
Stay close.
[grunt]
Amy?
[gasps]
Amy...
Oh, oh!
No, no, Amy?
Amy? Amy?
[whimpering]
I'm sorry.
I'm gonna help you.
No, no, no.
You need to go.
No, I'm not leaving.
I'm not leaving.
You need to go!
[rumbling]
Ah!
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
[panting]
[screams]
[screaming]
No! No!
No, no!
[crying]
No!
Why are you doing this?
Get away from me!
You have no idea how great an
honor it is to be sacrificed.
There will be stories
written about you.
I'd much rather be writing the
stories than dying in them.
It is an honor.
If it's such an honor, why
don't you sacrifice yourself?
JESS:
No! No!
-Right.
-JESS: No!
My country, my people,
they are lost.
They don't know their history,
the great and powerful empire
that ruled this country
for centuries.
Tlacaelel the first,
it was his vision
that brought the Aztec Empire
to great new heights,
through sacrifice
and destruction.
Let us not
delay the inevitable.
I must appease our gods.
No!
[screams]
Straight, left... right...
Straight.
Left, right, right.
Straight, left.
Right, right.
Straight, left, right, right.
No...
No, no, no, no!
I am the steward of my people.
I have to!
[grunts]
Jess, Jess.
Jess, Jess, Jess.
You're okay,
you're okay, you're okay.
[sobbing]
We're going to get
out of here, okay?
-Okay, okay.
-All right?
-Okay, all right.
-Okay.
Okay, we got it.
We got it.
Are you ready?
Okay, we're going to go.
Okay. Let's go.
Let's go.
[panting]
With Yaretzi gone, I don't think
that book is going to help us.
There's got to
be something here,
otherwise he
wouldn't have kept it.
If the Tlacaelel line is ended,
Quetzalcoatl will grow
until it devours the world.
But we already knew that.
The only way to kill
Quetzalcoatl
is to pierce its heart
with the ceremonial blade.
How are we supposed to do that?
That thing is enormous.
If we leave here,
it's going to kill us.
Okay.
You need to get down
to the lower levels.
Make a bunch of noise.
Grab its attention.
Distract it.
I'll go to the sacrificial pit,
and I'll grab the blade off
of Yaretzi's body.
That's your plan?
The temple is
falling all around us,
and a snake is chasing us.
Do you have a better idea?
We just have to get out of here.
No. We have to kill it.
Otherwise it's going to kill us.
Jess.
You have to go.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
[panting]
Hey!
Hey!
Come and get me!
You want it so bad,
well, I'm right here!
Come and get me!
Come and get me,
you big legless freak!
[screams]
Come and get me!
I'm right here,
you want it so bad!
Now I have your attention.
[screams]
[gasps]
[panting]
[screams]
[panting]
[groaning]
[shivering]
[gunshots]
Hurry!
Come to me! Quick!
What are you doing here?
Time to run.
Ask questions later, my dear.
Wait! Wait!
Marlene is still in the temple.
We have to help.
In the temple?
Then we need to go.
You can't just leave her here!
I'm not!
We need to lure it away.
Jess!
Marlene!
No...
[growling]
No! No! No!
[panting]
[sobbing]
No! No!
[sobbing]
[gunshots]
[panting]
No!
No!
The temple!
Let's go!
The Ehecacozcatl.
Where did you find it?
I'm afraid I found it
around the neck
of your dead guide
in the chamber.
Come on.
We need to get to safety.
We can't leave her.
I assure you, it's best that
we leave immediately.
Tell me, Jess, was there
anyone else here with you?
Just me.
Everyone else is dead.
Marlene, you were so close.
I wish you could
come back with me.
Come on.
Time to go.
We'll come back.
I'll send a team.
We'll do a proper excavation.
[rumbling]
-No.
-Wait. Look.
No way.
Marlene, you did it.
You did it.
Jess...
I guess that ceremonial
knife came in handy.
Augustine.
I got your birthday card.
You couldn't let
yourself be upstaged.
Marlene, this was
a rescue mission.
Besides, never upstage me.
You found it?
We've got to get this home.
Where's the plane?
Not more than 10 miles away.
10 miles?
Some rescue.
Last time I looked,
you were pretty much stranded.
Peter, this is Augustine.
Yes, come in.
Read your line and clear.
Over.
Yeah, I have two survivors.
Meet us at the rendezvous point.
-Copy that.
-Over.
I suppose a thank you
is in order.
Oh, I don't know.
In helping you,
I found my white whale.
And I've come to a profound
realization about myself.
Something that
I will never do again.
What?
Fight a giant anaconda?
Ha!
No.
Retire.
Hated every minute of it.
That's because
we belong in the field.
What's next?
Well, if I remember correctly,
someone wrote a book
about a giant Camazotz.
A bat god that lured
men to their deaths
in the dead of night.
Yes, indeed I did.
But I still haven't found the
caves that the myth is based on.
I hear the Sistema Huautla
south of Mexico has some leads.
Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's all go to Huautla.
[screaming]
No, please, I beg of you!
No, no, please!
I beg of you!
[screaming, sobbing]
I'm not willing.
I am not willing!
Hey! Hey!
[chanting]
[gasping]
[drumming]
[sobbing]
Please!
I'm not willing!
She was unwilling!
We have angered Quetzalcoatl!
[clamoring]
[roaring]
Irving, Hector,
Amy and Steve
are setting up base camp
half a kilometer away.
You sure you don't want
to get a head start?
We can always leave
a trail for Bella.
And leave the woman we're
hoping is going to fund
the next decade of
expeditions alone
to fend for herself
in the jungle?
I don't think so.
I mean, anyone
can follow a trail.
You don't know
these office types.
Then why is she coming?
She's just going
to slow us down.
She wants to make
sure her money's being spent
the way she wants it.
The last expedition we did,
the exhibit was sold out
for 14 months.
Money's no issue for her.
Yeah.
That 14-month run was
four years ago.
[engine approaches]
Besides, it's always
about money with those types.
Well, I guess it's lucky
for her we have a lead
on that location for the temple.
Oh, there she is.
Be nice.
I'm always nice.
Oh!
I'm always nice.
Dr. Jacobs,
how was your trip?
Rough.
I'm just not
used to small boats.
I just wanted to see a--
Oh.
Not to worry,
we've got GPS trackers,
satellites,
everything you need.
Camp is about
half a kilometer away,
so we can move in right now.
[bug buzzes]
I hope you have some bug spray.
It's easy to get eaten alive
out here at this time of year.
Um, yeah, I did,
but could I borrow yours?
Because mine's buried deep
in my luggage
and I don't want to
rummage around for it.
Of course.
Wouldn't want
to ruin a fresh mani.
This is Jess Mansfield,
our resident
foot in mouth specialist.
She's also an
expert in the region.
What?
I like the colors.
Really.
Um, okay, anything else
you need before we head off?
Um, no, I'm good.
All right, let's head out.
Okay.
A small plane, a minibus,
and then that boat.
I can't believe I made
it here in one piece,
but I thought you'd like to know
that I invited Dr. Stiglitz
to be a keynote speaker
at this year's
museum symposium at your behest.
Has he responded?
Mm-mm.
That's just like him.
Well, I'm sure that
meant a lot to him.
Retirement hasn't
been easy for Augustine.
Well, if he keeps declining
public speaking engagements,
the public will stop
engaging with him.
Oh, I'm sure he'll be out
on the appearance circuit
next time he writes
his big book.
Yeah, when will that be?
The last one was five years ago.
Oh, I'd love to sit.
If you ask me,
Augustine hasn't been the same
since his last expedition.
That's why I informed him,
I intend to stand up.
Thanks.
So what made you want to come
out on this expedition, Bella?
Dr. Jacobs.
No, Bella...
Bella is fine.
And that's a fair
question, Jess.
I guess I was just a
tiny bit jealous of Marlene
and all the time she gets
to spend in the field.
I mean, you both know I got my
PhD in museum studies from SUNY,
and it's just not
that exciting, you know?
And I just felt isolated and
secluded, and I just wanted...
Oh.
It'll get you.
Thanks, Marlene.
I guess I just wanted
to feel
the dirt in my fingers,
you know?
And hold these artifacts
in their natural habitat,
and then authorize and negotiate
cultural property agreements
with Mexico's Ministry
of Culture
for temporary loans of
those very same artifacts.
That's when the
real adventure begins.
Yeah.
Come on.
Yeah, then it is an adventure.
How could I pass up
the opportunity
to tour long-lost Aztec ruins
with a private local guide?
I mean, that is a dream.
[rustling]
What is that?
[rustling continues]
-Get behind me.
-Okay.
Is that a...
Jaguar?
If it were a jaguar,
we'd be dead already.
Wait, is someone
coming to meet us?
Everyone should be back at camp.
Everyone...
take one step back.
Yaretzi, you were supposed
to meet us at the camp.
Everyone, this is
Yaretzi Tlacaelel.
He's our local guide.
Yaretzi?
I won't even attempt your
last name, I'll slaughter it.
Pardon me, Dr. Bella Jacobs,
Chief Curator, World History
Museum, Los Angeles County.
Pleasure to meet you.
Shall we head to camp?
Yes.
Lead the way.
Let's go.
[grunting]
I told him,
just stay with us.
It's gonna be nightfall soon.
Still no sign of them.
Well, I gave Jess
our coordinates.
They should be here soon.
Should have given them
to Marlene.
Sure, her assistant's great,
but Marlene--
Has the utmost faith in
her choice of assistants?
Oh!
Next time I'll stay at camp
and you can fight off the
jaguar we almost ran into.
Doctor, we're just
starting to get worried.
Had to show Dr. Jacobs
the scenic route.
Oh, everyone,
Yaretzi Tlacaelel.
Our guide.
With your guidance,
we will treat this place
with the utmost respect
it deserves Senor...
Tilly-Tale, Toliki...
Tlacaelel.
Hmm?
Ta-lac-el.
Thank you.
I look forward
to working with you all
in discovering
my ancestral homelands
and presenting the rich and
powerful heritage of my people,
the chosen people,
in your museum.
Many artifacts and symbols
of our sophisticated culture
are still hidden deep within
the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.
Doctora Potts, this includes
the Ehecacozcatl.
Few pieces like it ever
survived the Spanish conquest
and none have been
unearthed fully intact.
We may have the rare
opportunity to recover
the first Ehecacozcatl
in one piece
for the first time
in six centuries.
How can you be so sure?
Well, most people say
the Temple was destroyed
and those who
have searched for it
come home empty-handed
if they've come home at all.
And why is that?
Because a group of
Quetzalcoatl cultists
make human sacrifices.
But I thought that Quetzalcoatl
was against the practice
of human sacrifice.
True.
But this group, if the
legends are true, of course,
believe that sacrifices will
get them closer to Quetzalcoatl.
That only the truest
of true believers
could commit such acts.
So it will likely be
a small temple
since it was a small cult.
It's most likely swallowed up
by the jungle for six centuries.
We could be venturing
into nothing, though.
Nothing? But I--
There's always a risk,
but we mitigate that risk
by having experts like
Senor Tlacaelel to guide us.
No one has seen or even touched
a fully intact Ehecacozcatl.
-No one?
-No one.
Well, someone got close.
Wait, I'm confused.
Someone did or...
You know him.
Dr. Stiglitz.
Ah.
Right.
Is that what drove him
to an early retirement,
searching for a
complete Ehecacozcatl?
Well, I can tell you,
he might have succeeded
if he had what we have,
our secret weapon,
Senor Tlacaelel.
It's thanks to him
that we know
exactly where
to look for the temple.
Well, Steve, why don't
you show Bella to her tent?
I'm sure she's tired
and could settle in.
Hi, Steve Hill,
one of the field techs.
Hi, nice to meet you.
I'm Bella Jacob.
I can show you to
your tent, huh?
Oh, okay.
Don't mind if I do.
Wow, you're so strong.
[sighs]
So?
How's Bella doing?
Is she in a...
I'm gonna fund you
for a decade mood,
or this is your
last exhibition mood?
Too soon to tell.
Although I'm optimistic.
She seems excited.
Well, yeah, it's her...
It's her last chance at
joining an expedition
before she pulls funding.
Oh, do you not know?
Am I seriously the one breaking
this news to you right now?
Well, um...
Ever since the White House
pulled major
federal grant programs,
trustees have been,
like, skittish.
Donors and sponsors have been
putting major pressure on Bella
to secure another
Tutankhamen-sized exhibit.
Maybe you should get in touch
with Dr. Stiglitz after all.
I already have.
Hmm.
Hey, I finally, finally
finished your schedule.
Ah, thank you, Peter.
It's all good to go.
Here, read this for me.
I haven't got my glasses.
Yeah, what is it?
Is it your birthday?
Well, happy birthday.
Just read it.
Um, let's see.
"I know how much you hate
being another year older,
"but not nearly as much as
you like being upstaged.
"So let me distract you from
the former with the latter.
"I'm going for it.
"This time with W.H.M. funding.
This is my birthday gift
to you, Marlene."
She's going for what?
And is this Dr. Potts?
[grunts]
Come.
There's work to do.
So basically, I just
yell out "earthquake"
because everything's shaking.
Everyone runs to the exit
except for Marlene.
She literally dives for it,
dives for the vase
at the very last second
and catches it
just before it hits the ground.
I had no idea that that
piece made such a journey.
It was one of my favorites from
last year's Mycenaean exhibit.
Marlene, what's your favorite
artifact you discovered?
There was this necklace,
ornate with jewels,
emeralds, rubies,
adorned on a golden chain.
It belonged to a queen, but
we found it in a mass tomb.
Why was it there?
There were a couple
of theories about that.
One was a coup, but then we
would have found other royals
with similar jewels,
so that was unlikely.
It could have been
a gift to a servant
from a royal friend
before they died.
Or it could have been a thief
clutching it for an eternity.
Well, what do you think?
I like to think that
it did belong to a queen,
a leader of her people
who went into battle
fighting for her people
till their very last breath.
They were a coward.
What makes you think that?
Royals never spent
time with peasants.
It was beneath them.
The woman who wore your necklace
was fleeing the battle,
leaving her people to die.
It was likely hiding
somewhere in her clothes
or somewhere even more hidden.
You know, that's the funny thing
about undocumented history.
We never truly know.
That's why it's our job
to piece together the past,
to learn.
Well, it's getting late.
We've got a long journey
ahead of us tomorrow.
Let's get some rest.
I guess I'll take first watch.
Just had some coffee,
so I'm wired.
[snoring]
[twig snaps]
[snores]
[hissing]
[grunts]
[gags]
[groans]
[gunshots]
-What was it?
-Did you hear that?
[coughing]
-You okay?
-Yeah, yeah, I'm good.
Good Lord, look at the size
of this thing.
It has to be a 20-footer.
25-footer.
It's a green anaconda.
Yaretzi, what's up?
Everything okay?
No, it isn't.
Steve, watch out.
Don't get so close.
Don't worry, it's very dead.
It's also very far from home.
This can't be a green anaconda.
What's it doing 2,000 miles
north of its natural habitat?
2,000 miles?
You're talking, what?
Venezuela, Ecuador?
She's right.
Anacondas aren't native
to this region,
or this country for that matter.
Pythons, sure, some in Mexico,
but this one must
have gotten lost.
2,000 miles is a
long way to get lost.
If the legends are true,
there's a green anaconda
at the bottom of the temple pit.
believed to be
Quetzalcoatl himself,
trapped in this earthly form.
Oh, and you didn't
think to tell us about this
super snake until just now?
Obviously, it's not true.
Probably just a boa constrictor,
anaconda of great length.
But we don't know what's
down there for sure.
Great length?
25 feet is great length.
Are you sure we didn't
just kill it?
That was half a millennia ago.
No matter what they believed,
there's no way that it
would have lived this long.
Irv, you okay?
Oh, yeah.
Not every day you almost get
choked out by a giant snake.
You know?
Fortunately, no, I don't.
Phew.
Here, have some water.
Listen, if you need
to take some time,
I can arrange it for you
to get back to the mainland.
No pressure to continue.
What's a better story?
I almost got choked out
by a giant snake,
so I packed my stuff
and went home,
or I almost got choked out
by a giant snake
before we found a rare
priceless eheka-doodle-dackle,
whatever you're calling it,
in a lost temple that we haven't
set foot in for six centuries?
The first one sounds
pretty good,
but I'm kind of leaning
towards the second one.
The second one sounds good.
Yes, hello.
This is Dr. Augustine Stiglitz.
I'm calling for Bella Jacobs.
She reached out to me
about a speaking engagement
at your museum.
Ah...
Well, when do you
expect her return?
She is the curator of your
facility, is she not?
Do you mind if I ask
the nature of this expedition?
Chiapas?
No, I know the area.
Yes, quite well in fact.
Well, um, please let her know
that I called, and thank you.
What's happened?
Something the matter?
She's gone to southern Mexico.
Dr. Potts.
With financial backing from
the World History Museum.
Wait, but they pulled
all the funding...
Yes, yes, thank you, Peter.
We don't need to get
into that nonsense now.
That birthday card.
Lord knows I hate cheap
sentimentality like that.
-And she knows this.
-Mm-hmm.
And Marlene would never dare
directly tell me to my face
what she was planning to do.
-Because of the...
-Museum?
Yes. Yes, indeed.
Hence the card.
Just... easier.
So then what is she doing?
Oh, Peter, don't you see?
She's gone to Socunusco
to find the Ehecacozcatl.
The one she's always
been planning to get.
And the one that
I could never find.
But you proved it doesn't exist.
No, I just proved that
I couldn't find it.
Reach out to the WHM.
Decline their kind offer
on behalf of your employer.
And send them
a signed copy of my book
for their silent auction.
Oh, and Peter?
Perhaps you might read it
before you do.
We're entering
uncharted territory.
Could be rougher
terrain out there.
So is this how all these go?
Sometimes it's jungle,
sometimes it's desert.
Desert's easier as long
as you have enough water.
Give me this any day
over the desert.
Absolutely not.
Have you been to the Arctic?
Blinding.
Heat, I can deal with,
but cold, unforgiving.
Look out!
[shouts]
It is an omen.
Quetzalcoatl.
He does not want us to be here.
I mean, we have to be here.
I mean, we have
to move on through.
I don't know about you people,
but I don't want to wait
for another snake to show up.
Bella, if Yaretzi says
that it's too dangerous--
Marlene....
As the chief curator
for the museum
and the one
funding this excursion,
I need artifacts,
so I say we press on.
Marlene?
You okay?
Let's go.
Marlene, take a look at this.
Oh, now this is what
I'm talking about.
Not gonna lie,
I didn't think we'd find shit.
[laughing]
Temple of Quetzalcoatl
must not be
approached with negligence.
You did it, Yaretzi.
Follow me, stay close.
Remember, we're
in an ancient ruin.
It's important to be cautious.
Careful, we must not
disturb Quetzalcoatl.
To think this place has been
left untouched for centuries.
By anything other
than Mother Nature.
Wow, this is like
a wine cellar.
This is where it happened.
I'm not willing!
The cultists made
the blood sacrifices
right here in this very chamber.
So... the murders
happened in here?
Sacrifices to Quetzalcoatl,
the God of Wind and Creation.
Here, take this.
[beeps]
Hey, guys.
The pit, it's been sealed shut.
Well, maybe Quetzalcoatl
was sick of all
this blood and death.
Okay, 3D-surveying
systems up and running.
I'll have the geovector online
and ready to fly in five.
Okay, Irv, you reading this?
Yeah, data sets initiating.
And data sets received.
All right, we're good to go.
So, the artifacts,
the relics and scrolls,
they just show up
on this map here?
Marlene.
So, we've got
everything on the schematics.
-Now what?
-Now what?
What does "now what"
mean, Marlene?
Well, then, I don't know.
We must not be
in the right place.
I hope the geovector can give
us some more options here.
You got all of our images.
Everything's coming in clear.
Oh, I've got it all.
Everything that's here
and what isn't.
It's, um...
is this, this is it?
I mean...
Don't get me wrong,
it's incredible.
It's just that, um...
Okay, okay.
I was only able
to secure funding
for this little
excursion of yours
because I promised an
entire board of trustees
that I would return
with a complete collection
and exhibit of
ancient artifacts.
I cannot go back to
L.A. without the, well,
we cannot go back to L.A.
without Ehecacozcatl.
You do realize that, right?
Are you being serious right now?
Heads up, everybody.
I'm bringing the
drone back to base.
The insurance alone on
sending a group out like this
is staggering.
Budgets are shrinking.
Just loaning collections
now is more profitable.
Not as exciting,
but budget-friendly.
Marlene, I cannot have any more
surprises the next time,
or there won't be a next time.
Bella, you know as well as I do
that history does not exist
to be bought or sold.
Those organizations,
those people,
they only see dollar signs.
But you see what I see.
Ancient history coming alive,
uniting us in our humanity.
That's why we do what we do.
We have to keep searching.
Okay, well, let's bring
back some artifacts,
and this conversation
never happened.
Watch your heads,
drone incoming.
[coughing]
What the heck?
Where did all this
wind come from?
Where's the drone?
I'm losing...
I'm losing it.
I can't see anything
in this dust.
[coughing]
We can't stay in here.
Everyone, we need
to get out of here.
Go, go, go!
Keep moving!
Keep moving forward!
Run!
Steve!
It wasn't my fault, Marlene!
Do you know what your
careless mistake cost us?
Marlene! Marlene!
We're safe! We're safe!
That is all that matters.
Let's just set up camp
before it gets dark.
Reassess when we
have clearer heads.
Come on, we'll figure this out.
Hey, is it really true
that the Aztecs
were performing
ritual sacrifice?
Oh, yes, true indeed.
In fact, the Aztec armies would
capture their prisoners of war
and sacrifice
them to their gods.
Wow, dude, that's crazy.
I mean, you read about
stuff like this,
but to think that those people
actually did those things?
And why?
You enjoying retirement?
Well, what else is
there left to accomplish?
You know, I've discovered
ruins and relics
the world had long
thought lost forever.
I've travelled to the
four corners of the globe.
I've written many books
about these places,
and some have been turned
into some pretty decent movies.
Others, eh?
Not so much.
So, now I'm retired.
Why do you ask about sacrifices?
Well, there's something
you wrote in your book.
It was, uh, right here.
"Aztec religions became
bloodthirsty human sacrifice.
"It became important in
maintaining cosmic order.
"The high priests believed
that the sun
needed human blood
just to rise and set."
-Well, yes, of course.
-Crazy.
The sun has always been
essential to human civilization,
but the Aztecs also believed
that Quetzalcoatl
was the god of creation
and that he spilled his blood
to bring humanity into life.
But oddly, he was against the
sacrifice of the unwilling...
-Really?
-And blood rituals in general.
I wonder what it
is that Marlene has found
that makes her think that the
Ehecacozcatl is in Chiapas?
The temple of Quetzalcoatl.
Perhaps she's found it.
But then, why would the
Ehecacozcatl be there?
Well, maybe they
wanted to hide it
where they didn't think
anyone would look.
Why would you say that?
Well, if Quetzalcoatl was
against human sacrifice,
then no one would be
using the ceremonial breastplate
in the place of worship, right?
So maybe they hid it there
because no one
would look for it.
Hmm.
You know, that's not
completely off base.
I gotta say,
I've heard worse suppositions.
-Thank you.
-Cheers.
[rustling]
[rustling]
[bird calls, wings flap]
[screams]
[gunshots]
Did you hear that?
Did you guys hear that?
Yeah.
-Where's Steve?
-Is everyone else here?
Steve! Steve!
-Steve!
-Steve!
We should call
search and rescue.
They can do an aerial search.
We need to find Steve
or the expedition is over.
We need to find him.
Every moment counts.
All right, Jess and Bella,
you stay here.
You try and contact Air Rescue.
Irv, Amy, take the gun.
Go back to where we came from.
See if you can find Steve
or his tracks, anything.
Look.
Yaretzi?
Hector and I,
we're gonna go west.
Everyone, meet back here
in 15 minutes.
-You got it?
-Copy.
Yep.
[panting]
[beeps]
Air Rescue, come in.
We have a missing person.
Please, come in.
Air Rescue, this is
Dr. Bella Jacobs.
We have a missing
person emergency.
I repeat, a missing
person emergency.
Over.
I hope they find him.
He seems like
such a good guy.
Steve, are you hurt?
Come on, buddy, make
a sound if you can hear us.
Steve?
-Steve!
-Steve!
Hide and seek's over, buddy.
Steve, answer us, please.
Just keep going.
-Steve!
-Steve!
[static]
Air Rescue?
Air Rescue?
Maybe Yaretzi's right.
Maybe there is bad energy here.
Air Rescue, please, come in.
We have a missing person.
Please, we're
in need of assistance.
[sighs]
Damn.
-Steve!
-Steve!
Steve, come on!
Steve!
God, I've never lost anyone
on an expedition before.
We haven't lost anyone just yet.
What is it?
Look at the size of
this snakeskin.
This is out here with us.
[rustling]
What's up?
Did you find Steve?
No, we found this.
-Oh!
-Oh...
Holy snakeskin.
It's fresh, recently shed,
let's see, 12, 24 hours maybe.
How can you tell?
It's pliable, supple,
it's not dry and brittle.
This is one massive snake.
It's bigger than
one that almost got me.
That's not funny.
Yeah, I think we should go home.
We should not.
Why not?
Evil energy will
follow us wherever we go.
I'm sorry, so we're just
kind of stuck here forever
because you're all
too scared to just leave
because of some
religious superstition?
We must find the evil energy
to feed it.
Then and only
then can we leave safely.
How do you find that energy?
Much less, um, destroy it.
We head back to the temple.
Okay, uh, may I remind you
that the geovector scan
didn't find anything.
There is nothing undiscovered
inside that temple.
What about Steve?
Maybe he's there.
Bella's right.
We can't leave without Steve.
We all need to stick together.
So then we head back to the
temple to look for Steve.
Yeah, fine.
Fine.
If it were one of us,
he wouldn't give up.
Steve wouldn't give up.
We have to keep going.
Yeah.
Great.
We need to head out.
Let's go.
I'm going to
hang back for a second
and try one more time
to contact Air Rescue.
Hector, just hurry up.
We can't wait for you.
[static]
Okay.
Air Control, do you copy?
Over.
Air Control, do you copy?
Over.
Air Control, do you copy?
We hear you.
Who are you?
Air Control, this
is Hector Rojas.
I'm part of
the museum excavation.
We have lost one of our members.
What is your location?
My location, uh...
[screams]
What is
your location, sir?
Steve?
Steve!
The pit, it's open.
Okay, well, I don't
think Steve's down there,
so let's keep moving.
Okay, we're good.
It's totally empty in here.
Guys, I don't think
he came this way.
It's the most obvious path
unless there are passages
we have yet to discover.
Why would he come down this way?
Steve being Steve.
[rumbling]
Ah!
[screaming]
No, guys!
Are you okay?
Hold on, we'll help get you out.
[struggling]
[gasps]
Bella!
Bella!
She's dead.
[crying]
Jess? Bella?
Marlene!
[panting]
Bella!
Bella's gone!
Okay...
Okay, all right.
Um...
We need to get Yaretzi
and Jess out.
We have some pulley ropes
in the gear.
I'll check it.
Just hold on.
We're coming.
I think there's a
way out of here.
Let's go.
Yaretzi thinks he's found
a way out!
Okay, be careful.
If you find a way out,
just meet us back at the camp.
[grunting]
Okay, what do you want to do?
Find an exit, too.
[grunting]
How do you know this is an exit?
I don't!
False corridor.
[shouts]
Hey, I came as soon
as you called.
What's the emergency?
Marlene and her expedition.
They've gone missing.
Air Rescue received multiple
distress calls from her team.
They've all since disappeared.
I've been on the phone
with Search and Rescue
and the U.S. Embassy.
They're apparently
gathering information.
Well, you know what?
They can gather all the
information they like.
I'm going down there.
Auggie, you cannot seriously
be considering
going down to Mexico right now.
What do you suggest I do?
Just sit here on my hands
and do nothing, my dear boy?
I would argue that
I'm indirectly responsible
for her being down there.
Come on, we have to leave.
I've been to that area
and that terrain can be
extremely vicious.
We haven't got
a moment to waste.
Air Rescue last heard from
them seven hours ago.
We can be on the ground
in Chiapas in four.
Come here.
Now, get these.
Come on.
Chop, chop.
We haven't got a moment to lose.
You brought your
passport with you?
-It's in the car.
-Let's go.
Be careful, we don't want
to trigger any more traps.
Do you think Hector was
able to reach them?
I hope, and that
help arrives soon.
What are we going
to tell the museum?
I don't know.
We need to figure out
how to get out first.
It's colder down this hall.
Could mean a tunnel or an exit.
[beeping]
Shh.
[beeping]
You hear that?
It's close.
[beeping]
Let me ask the others.
Jess? Is that you?
No, shh.
[rumbling]
-Do you feel that?
-[beeping]
Something's coming.
Marlene...
Who had the other radio?
Hector.
How could he be...
Run!
Run!
We need to find an exit!
Ah!
Irv!
Come on!
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-Just go, just go, just go!
-No, no, no!
Go, go!
I'll see you out there, okay?
[grunting]
[groans]
Ow...
[hissing]
[gun cocks]
Swallow this,
you big son of a bitch.
[screams]
[crying]
Dry your tears!
[rumbling]
Wait...
Wait, wait, wait.
Is that...
We need to get out of here.
It could be getting bigger.
What?
Come on!
[grunting]
Come on!
There has to be a way out!
We can't just be stuck
here until Marlene finds us.
This tunnel, it was used
by prisoners, right?
There had to be a way for them
to come in and get them out.
There's something on the ground.
Where?
There's a tablet on the ground.
It has an etching
of Quetzalcoatl on it.
Okay, okay, okay,
I see it, I see it.
If...
If we press it, we may...
may just be able
to get out of here.
How do you know?
There are no skeletons in here.
There has to be a way out.
This is our only chance.
-Okay.
-We have to take it.
Okay.
Press the tile.
Press the tile.
[grunting]
Reach, reach!
You almost got it!
Come on, come on!
Okay, okay, I got it.
I'm gonna get it.
Damn it!
I lost the flashlight.
[growls]
I just need something
to reach it.
Try reaching under the bars!
[gasps]
[panting]
I think we lost it.
Irving, we just...
We just left him, we left him.
He got eaten!
Amy, we don't have
time for that.
We've got to go warn
Jess and Yaretzi.
Can you do that?
Uh-huh.
Okay, you got it?
-Okay, let's go.
-Okay.
[whimpers]
Help!
Help!
We're down here, somebody!
They cannot hear us down here.
This is a prison,
the walls are too thick.
[grunting]
[sobbing]
Tlapoa.
[grinding]
You said something!
You said something
and it opened!
What did you say?
Tlapoa.
In ancient Nahuatl,
it means "to open."
Why didn't you do that
in the first place?
Your bantering gave me the idea.
Come on, watch where you walk,
it could all be rigged.
In roughly 24 hours,
the solar cycle will reach
its maximum phase or peak.
Meaning what?
Sorry, I'm a little lost, I
haven't finished your book yet.
Well, when the solar cycle
reaches its peak,
it's exactly when
the Aztecs
would increase their
human sacrifice rituals.
More blood spilled.
The temple at Quetzalcoatl
was infamous for the amount
of blood shed there.
If Marlene has in fact
found this temple,
and something has
been awakened inside,
then it's very hard to prevent
it from escaping the temple,
and frankly, putting
the whole world in jeopardy.
All because of
the solar cycle?
Yeah.
The cosmic imbalance has long
had a devastating effect
on civilization for centuries.
Great, so we've got,
what, like 24 hours?
Coo, we got this.
Fine, it's fine.
Have you seen "24?"
They got a lot done.
We're only getting deeper
into this temple.
A library.
Wow.
Serpents, they're everywhere.
Look at this, Amy.
Ancient iconography.
It's the symbol for the cult,
early to mid-1400s.
1400s, that's the...
that's the rise of
the Aztec empire
under the ruler, Itzcoatl.
Wait, wait, wait.
Look at this.
It's Nahuatl script,
it's just got the same phrase
over and over and over again.
You're right.
Chosen, the chosen ones,
rulers, chosen to lead.
It's everywhere.
But Emperor Itzlcoatl
rule was not dominated
by this attitude.
Well, not at first.
It was introduced later
towards the end of his rule.
Mid-1400s, the Aztec Empire
became highly militarized,
and human sacrifices
were widely accepted...
under the rule of the royal
advisor Tlacaelel.
Tlacaelel?
-As in, Yaretzi...
-Tlacaelel.
Okay, it's too dark.
We have to be careful so we
don't walk into another trap.
This temple,
the people
who made it
would not have
many traps in here.
Yeah?
Why is that?
They were protected
in other ways.
What do you mean, other ways?
They took measures
to appease the gods.
They took forms on Earth
that represented
their power absolute.
What does that mean?
Pray you never have to find out.
[panting]
[rumbling]
What was that?
We need to keep moving.
It's not safe here.
The temple housed
what they believed to be
Quetzalcoatl in his earthly
form, feathered serpents.
He would grow large
and larger
with every sacrifice
he was offered.
There was another theory,
the Tlacateuctli belief.
And that means
"protector," right?
This temple was not built
to house but to imprison.
As a way to protect
the world from the danger
and the havoc it would wreak
if it was ever
released from
this sacred land.
Yeah, but this temple,
it's falling apart.
Yeah, thanks to us
and the collapse.
The sacrificial pit
has been reopened
and the danger reawakened.
So how are we going
to kill this thing?
Kill it?
In my experience,
gods don't die that easily.
So what are we going to do?
Are we just going
to let this thing
become the dominant apex
predator on the planet
and destroy everything?
Peter, now listen, this area
can be very unforgiving.
So stay close,
listen to every word I say
and whatever you do,
do not stray apart.
Okay?
Give me the guns.
Auggie, I'm staying here.
Okay, if this goes south,
you need someone at base camp.
Okay?
Okay.
Stay safe.
I'll see you.
Okay. We need to look and find
something that's going to help
lead us to Jess and Yaretzi.
The map, maybe?
Wait, check this out.
That looks like a
drawing of the temple.
What it must have looked like.
Perfect.
Then where are we in all this?
We're probably
three stories down
to preserve the humidity
of the scrolls.
Okay, if we entered here...
Uh-huh.
Got separated here,
Okay, then this is where
they'd probably be.
So you think Jess is here?
You should wear this.
That would be
highly inappropriate.
I insist.
It will protect you.
Protection from what?
It is your destiny.
The gods are watching,
and I won't take no
for an answer.
Yaretzi...
You... you're scaring me.
We're just a few hallways away.
Be on the look out for traps.
[low rumbling]
Where is it?
[animal shrieking]
[whispers]
Go, go.
This way.
[screams]
[quiet sobbing]
You look perfect.
This feels really inappropriate.
I can assure you, everything
is as it should be.
Yeah, I really think that,
you know, I should
take this off
and we could just find
an exit and get out of here.
That not gonna happen.
What do you mean?
I have bigger plans for you.
Yaretzi, I really think
that, you know,
we could just go find
the others and...
We could...
What are you doing?
What I should have done
long ago.
What my ancestors
were to0 cowardly to do.
You don't have to do that.
You don't understand.
I must!
I must!
No, wait, please.
No, please.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
[panting]
Good call.
Going right.
Except we need to go left.
Left?
Isn't there another way?
There is, but it's longer.
Let's take it.
Stay close.
[grunt]
Amy?
[gasps]
Amy...
Oh, oh!
No, no, Amy?
Amy? Amy?
[whimpering]
I'm sorry.
I'm gonna help you.
No, no, no.
You need to go.
No, I'm not leaving.
I'm not leaving.
You need to go!
[rumbling]
Ah!
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
[panting]
[screams]
[screaming]
No! No!
No, no!
[crying]
No!
Why are you doing this?
Get away from me!
You have no idea how great an
honor it is to be sacrificed.
There will be stories
written about you.
I'd much rather be writing the
stories than dying in them.
It is an honor.
If it's such an honor, why
don't you sacrifice yourself?
JESS:
No! No!
-Right.
-JESS: No!
My country, my people,
they are lost.
They don't know their history,
the great and powerful empire
that ruled this country
for centuries.
Tlacaelel the first,
it was his vision
that brought the Aztec Empire
to great new heights,
through sacrifice
and destruction.
Let us not
delay the inevitable.
I must appease our gods.
No!
[screams]
Straight, left... right...
Straight.
Left, right, right.
Straight, left.
Right, right.
Straight, left, right, right.
No...
No, no, no, no!
I am the steward of my people.
I have to!
[grunts]
Jess, Jess.
Jess, Jess, Jess.
You're okay,
you're okay, you're okay.
[sobbing]
We're going to get
out of here, okay?
-Okay, okay.
-All right?
-Okay, all right.
-Okay.
Okay, we got it.
We got it.
Are you ready?
Okay, we're going to go.
Okay. Let's go.
Let's go.
[panting]
With Yaretzi gone, I don't think
that book is going to help us.
There's got to
be something here,
otherwise he
wouldn't have kept it.
If the Tlacaelel line is ended,
Quetzalcoatl will grow
until it devours the world.
But we already knew that.
The only way to kill
Quetzalcoatl
is to pierce its heart
with the ceremonial blade.
How are we supposed to do that?
That thing is enormous.
If we leave here,
it's going to kill us.
Okay.
You need to get down
to the lower levels.
Make a bunch of noise.
Grab its attention.
Distract it.
I'll go to the sacrificial pit,
and I'll grab the blade off
of Yaretzi's body.
That's your plan?
The temple is
falling all around us,
and a snake is chasing us.
Do you have a better idea?
We just have to get out of here.
No. We have to kill it.
Otherwise it's going to kill us.
Jess.
You have to go.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
[panting]
Hey!
Hey!
Come and get me!
You want it so bad,
well, I'm right here!
Come and get me!
Come and get me,
you big legless freak!
[screams]
Come and get me!
I'm right here,
you want it so bad!
Now I have your attention.
[screams]
[gasps]
[panting]
[screams]
[panting]
[groaning]
[shivering]
[gunshots]
Hurry!
Come to me! Quick!
What are you doing here?
Time to run.
Ask questions later, my dear.
Wait! Wait!
Marlene is still in the temple.
We have to help.
In the temple?
Then we need to go.
You can't just leave her here!
I'm not!
We need to lure it away.
Jess!
Marlene!
No...
[growling]
No! No! No!
[panting]
[sobbing]
No! No!
[sobbing]
[gunshots]
[panting]
No!
No!
The temple!
Let's go!
The Ehecacozcatl.
Where did you find it?
I'm afraid I found it
around the neck
of your dead guide
in the chamber.
Come on.
We need to get to safety.
We can't leave her.
I assure you, it's best that
we leave immediately.
Tell me, Jess, was there
anyone else here with you?
Just me.
Everyone else is dead.
Marlene, you were so close.
I wish you could
come back with me.
Come on.
Time to go.
We'll come back.
I'll send a team.
We'll do a proper excavation.
[rumbling]
-No.
-Wait. Look.
No way.
Marlene, you did it.
You did it.
Jess...
I guess that ceremonial
knife came in handy.
Augustine.
I got your birthday card.
You couldn't let
yourself be upstaged.
Marlene, this was
a rescue mission.
Besides, never upstage me.
You found it?
We've got to get this home.
Where's the plane?
Not more than 10 miles away.
10 miles?
Some rescue.
Last time I looked,
you were pretty much stranded.
Peter, this is Augustine.
Yes, come in.
Read your line and clear.
Over.
Yeah, I have two survivors.
Meet us at the rendezvous point.
-Copy that.
-Over.
I suppose a thank you
is in order.
Oh, I don't know.
In helping you,
I found my white whale.
And I've come to a profound
realization about myself.
Something that
I will never do again.
What?
Fight a giant anaconda?
Ha!
No.
Retire.
Hated every minute of it.
That's because
we belong in the field.
What's next?
Well, if I remember correctly,
someone wrote a book
about a giant Camazotz.
A bat god that lured
men to their deaths
in the dead of night.
Yes, indeed I did.
But I still haven't found the
caves that the myth is based on.
I hear the Sistema Huautla
south of Mexico has some leads.
Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's all go to Huautla.