Varan swims

"In the next half-hour, INN's Nick Gordon will pose these questions to Dr. Ramon Reyes, the co-discoverer of - oh my God, what's that?"

The director ripped off his headphones and almost choked. Luckily, the cameraman was on top of things. He shifted the camera and focused in the direction Robin was pointing.

Through the lens, the cameraman saw an immense dark green blur in the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Hastily, he tried to focus.

As the cameraman worked the lens, the director whistled in amazement and the pilot dipped the helicopter lower. The pilot was also a seasoned journalist, and he knew when to chase a story.

Suddenly, the image on the monitor sharpened, and the astounding vision was revealed to the viewing public on live, nationwide television.

Science Sunday had just been interrupted by the appearance of a giant prehistoric monster swimming in the Gulf of Mexico!

"Keep talking!" the director screamed through Robin's headphones. The intern snapped to attention, then 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.


Godzilla 2000 Chapter 6