Smashes building

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 highway. And not a moment too soon...

With a tremendous roar, the amphibious creature slammed into the hotel. Instantly, every window in the structure exploded outward in a shower of sparkling shards. The roof collapsed next, spilling debris, and several screaming guests, into the huge swimming pool.

From the area of the first floor near the restaurant, bright crimson flames gushed forth as a gas main ruptured. A secondary explosion quickly followed. The force of the blast sent a geyser of flames into the bright blue sky and knocked the startled creature backward.

Robin couldn't speak fast enough to describe the amazing event to her millions of viewers. Circling over the destruction, the news team was getting remarkable footage of the devastation. But in the excitement of the moment, the pilot of the INN news chopper had flown too close to the disaster.


Godzilla 2000, Chapter 6