6X6 CANOPY

New York's Finest (1st part of the Trilogy)

Hailing from the streets of New York, Naomi Foxx worked as a flight attendant for America's Airways for five years. Throughout her years of travels Naomi has seen the world and been in the company of some very wealthy and powerful men. Because of her connections, she helped her brother Reggie Foxx orchestrate his illegal drug smuggling operation. She had a few TSA agents, bag handlers and a couple of mules on the payroll so she saw her financial empire triple in no time. What Naomi didn't see was a sudden turn of events that will force her to do things she never thought she would do. And one by one, everyone in Reggie's organization will either end up behind bars or disappear altogether. Once Naomi realizes this, she escapes into hiding. With loads of cash in hand, a passport and a visa, Naomi has to make the decision about whether she needs to flee the country before her life end up in the wrong hands.

(Those of you who like action packed, guts n' gore, violence and stuff, you probably won't want to read this story segment. Its most just softy stuff. But important for background, so if you are following the Sol story, you'll want to read it)

EDIT: I just realized Conrad was the wrong name for this character, at least I think so. That being said, I have no clue what McGregor's real name was. I'm looking it up right now, if it turns out he just so happens to not have a name... well then I'll have to make up one.
EDIT2: found it, it was Samuel, who'd have guessed? I'll try to keep it from getting confusing with the other Sam.

Samuel McGregor jolted forward from his sleep.
Panic struck as he frantically felt for his gun at his side and could not find it, he reached out and felt it on the table at his bedside.
In seconds he up, out of bed, and had his pistol ready for action, mentally cursing himself for not keeping it on him. What was wrong him? he thought. He almost always slept with it holstered on his leg so he would be ready.
But then he realized this was not the right pistol...
...this was a CSP 5.
Those weren't made until... after the war.
It was then he realized he was in his home.
The crisp air reassured him that he was far far away from the oppressive heat of a military bunkhouse.
He could feel his bare feet on the cold floor, and held onto that as an anchor of reality.
A cool late summer night breeze blew in through the open window, flowing through the silk drapes with a soothing rippling sound.
He stood still for a moment, letting his arms relax, though still holding the pistol securely in both hands. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins.
The war was over, he had to keep telling himself that.
He heard the sheets rustle.
"Sam?"
He turned to meet Sophie's concerned look.
"Are you alright?"
He wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
"Yeah... I'm fine."
He sat back down on the edge of the bed. Sophie took his hand, "You're having dreams again?"
"hmph, nightmares more like."
He put his other hand out to Sophie's pregnant tummy.
"I wish I could promise a peaceful world for my son. But though the war is over, we're still human. There will be wars. Though the thought pains me, I will teach him how to protect himself, his family, and the weak from those who seek power."
"He'll be alright. Whatever wars come, there will never be another war like before."
"Not as long as I have breath in my body to prevent, no."
"You don't believe that the Eternity Cycle is dead?"
"I can hope. But though they may be dead, the circumstances that birthed the EC will always exist. Humanity hasn't changed."
"Go back to sleep Mr Gloomy, or go do your brooding on the couch."
He laughed softly.
"I think I'd rather stay."
She hit him with a pillow.
"Then behave, and no more thinking for tonight."
He laid back down and put his arm around her.
She snuggled close and was asleep in moments.
Samuel stared at the ceiling.
No, he wanted to believe there would never be another war like that, but he knew people, and knew history, too well.
He would prepare a way for his son, and he would teach his son.
And above all else, he would be sure the Shadow Watch would remain, hidden and secret, but always watching. Like it always had since the early colonial days of his homeworld.
Shadow Watch was always there protecting its people from obscurity. Unnamed heroes.
He gently ran his fingers through Sophie's hair once, kissed her head and finally drifted off to sweet dreamless sleep.
But this time, the pistol was by his side.
He would be ready.

Hot Date

Beauty knows
her most irresistible feature
is supreme confidence;
that she could wear practically anything
and start a whole new craze.

Sitting in her boudoir
she delicately powders her nose
with a fine dusting of flower pollen,

blushes her cheeks with fresh dewdrop of rose
and feathers a single stroke of sun bronzer
above each perfect cheek bone;

does up some killer smoky eyes–indigo sky with silver flecks of stardust,
dabs her neck with dots of jasmine-scented rain,
dangles the stars and moon
from her luscious earlobes,

sprays her hair with morning-mist
and gets out her Special Occasion Party Dress–
a dazzling cut of the Milky Way
hemmed with fireflies.

She drapes over her shoulders a shawl for evening,
gossamer, spun from the finest spider’s silk,


and oh,
almost forgetting,
at the very last moment
grabs the ocean,
strings it hastily around her neck,
leaving a wake of sun pearls and water crystals
as she runs out the door
for a hot date.

And the whole Universe goes gaga.

~madlyinlovewithlife
From my collection of poetry entitled, "Blowing Rings Around the Moon"

I handpainted this photo in my iPad using "Inspire Pro" and finished it in "Corel Painter X".
Original photo is of turquoise and rose quartz gemstone beads I knotted on silk cord.
Original photo taken with my Nikkor 105mm macro.

Something of a genre homecoming, Antoine Fuqua's latest film once again finds him delving into the gritty, brutal realm of cops and crooks—as he did in Training Day. Tango is an undercover officer on a narcotics detail that forces him to choose between duty and friendship. Having been to hell and back, he wants out, but the powers that be won't let him quit. Family-man Sal is a detective tempted by greed and corruption. He can barely make ends meet, and now his wife has an illness that threatens the life of their unborn twins. Eddie is nearing retirement age and has long since lost his dedication to his job as a cop. He wakes up every morning trying to come up with a reason to go on living...and he can't think of one. Fate brings the three men to the same Brooklyn housing project as each takes the law into his own hands. Crosscutting between multiple subplots, Brooklyn's Finest unfolds violently and passionately as coiled, constantly roving cinematography contributes a measure of unease to the underworld action.

Fans of the grit of HBO's The Wire, as well as of the mean-streets story intersection plot of Crash, will find a lot to like in the intense crime drama Brooklyn's Finest. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) with a sure hand, Brooklyn's Finest follows three NYPD cops who come from very different places (geographically and personally) as their lives, and the compromises they have made daily to coexist with the mean streets of Brooklyn, dovetail to a climax that will have viewers on the edge of their seats. Fuqua has assembled a stellar cast here, including Richard Gere, a veteran cop just a week from retirement; the always amazing Don Cheadle, an undercover officer whose loyalties to the force may be compromised by his growing loyalties to the groups he's infiltrating; and the film's true revelation, Ethan Hawke, a young corrupt cop whose morals make the stomach turn, though Hawke's performance is nuanced and riveting. Supporting cast members include Wesley Snipes as a badass gangster whom even the police have second thoughts about messing with. Other great performances are turned in by Vincent D'Onofrio, whose wooden delivery works here to make his character all the more menacing; Lili Taylor; and a ravishing, world-weary Ellen Barkin. The action is propelled along by the great performances, the excellent cinematography, Fuqua's deft direction, and the moody score by Brazilian composer Marcelo Zarvos. If the plot is a little far-fetched, even for a crime drama, the stellar performances more than make up for it, making Brooklyn's Finest one of Fuqua's, and certainly Hawke's, finest.