Here's a little taste of what I've written today:

***

In immediate response to the explosion, six blue flashes occurred almost simultaneously as Confederates dimensionally jumped in from the level above. It took a moment for them to materialize, coalescing from nothing into a fully formed corporeal being. That split second bought the Allies a moment to prepare.

Gardiner, Rivetti, Carina and Ray were each armed and ready, as were Lindner, Milner and Gray. Two of the other grunts, Burke and Nergaard, had their pieces drawn. Nergaard even backed up his gun with his knife, in his weak hand, ready for close combat if the need arose.

Corporal Macaluso tackled one of the Confederates as he materialized, using the momentary advantage as an opportunity to kill a man with his hands. He preferred to end someone's life intimately; he found guns too impersonal. Knives were better, but hands were best.

Macaluso was a big human—tall and broad, built like a bear and just as fearsome—and he was always well-prepared for a fight, even when off-duty. He believed that, during war, a battle could break out at any time, and he never wanted to be at a disadvantage. He was decked in a light exo-suit with armored mitts that increased the power of his punches by a factor of ten.

He wrenched the corren's helmet from his head and with one punch collapsed the man's face. For good measure, he kept punching until he cracked the correns skull and ruptured his scalp.

The Confederate's brains oozed out onto the floor like porridge from a broken bowl.