Godzilla 2000 by Marc Cerasini Read Free Book Online Page A

turned away from the creature in the water, to stare, wide-eyed, at the camera. She looked like an idiot.
    Fortunately, the camera's eye was focused on the creature swimming in the surf far below.
    "Talk!" the director shouted again.
    Suddenly, Robin Halliday regained her composure and began to report on what she was seeing. As she spoke, Robin was able to summon up a measure of calm, poise, and professional detachment, much to the director's surprise.
    "As we watch, a gigantic animal is moving through the Gulf of Mexico toward the resort complex below..."
    The director fumbled with his headphones. As he put them back on, he nodded encouragement to the intern, who continued to speak.
    "Though I can't make out the details of the creature from this distance, I think I can say with some certainty that this animal is a totally new species. This creature is not a whale, and it is not Godzilla..."
    The helicopter swooped over the monster, and the cameraman switched to a wide-angle lens so that the creature was clearly visible to the television audience. More and more details of the astounding monster were unveiled.
    Pleasure boats swept past the creature, fleeing its path. A speedboat, pulling a water-skiing couple, capsized in the churning waters. The monster swept the sinking boat and the floundering swimmers aside as if they were toys bobbing in a bathtub.
    As Robin described the event, the creature emerged into shallower waters close to the white, sandy beach. More details about the leviathan's anatomy were revealed.
    "The creature looks like a long, thin iguana," Robin observed, "though its legs are arranged more like a toad's. It has very long legs and a leg joint below thick thigh muscles. I believe that the claws and feet are webbed.
    "The head is round, not wedge-shaped, and the mouth seems frozen in a perpetual sneer. The jaws are lined with irregular teeth. I would describe its overall color as brown and gray, but there are blue and green splotches on its back and sides.
    "The eyes are large and narrow, and seem to follow movement..."
    As Robin Halliday spoke, the monster pulled itself onto the beach, directly in front of a twelve-story glass and steel resort hotel. Frantic vacationers on the beach fled in terror as the mysterious creature approached the hotel.
    The pilot began broadcasting a general warning in Spanish over the radio while maneuvering the helicopter deftly. The aircraft was hovering to the right of and above the strange monster. Robin continued to describe the creature to her viewers.
    "The reptile has a prominent line of translucent, bony spikes that run in a straight line from the crest of its head to the end of its long tail.
    "There also seems to be a thin webbing, or membrane of some kind, that runs along its torso, connecting the front and back legs. The creature has a leathery layer of flexible armor plating that covers its back. This plating is covered with round bubbles or knobby bumps..."
    Suddenly, the creature opened its mouth and emitted an eerie, whistling roar. The noise shook the helicopter and surprised the INN news team. A swarm of jungle birds burst from the trees below, narrowly missing the chopper's swirling blades.
    "I hope you heard that sound at home," Robin said, instantly regaining her composure. As she spoke, she glanced at her director. To her shock and delight, he was beaming. Once again, the technician gave her a thumbs-up.
    He was beaming, too.
    Meanwhile, the monster strode onto dry land on all four legs. Its massive front claws knocked aside abandoned outdoor furniture and brightly colored beach umbrellas, some of which bounced down the beach as if a terrible wind were blowing. Sand was kicked up from the beach as well, and began pelting the helicopter blades and fuselage.
    At that moment, some of the people who had taken refuge inside the main hotel building began rushing out the other side. They crossed a huge parking lot and ran in a mob toward the main ribbon of