Free Phoenix Rising (Dragon Legacy) by Previn Hudetz

bang on it, since that would almost definitely alert anyone who was keeping tabs on him, but just lying around wasn't an option, either.
    His mech limbs felt like they'd recovered. His digital immune system must have fixed him up while he was unconscious. He flexed his fist, testing its functional viability. It worked. Okay.
    It infuriated him when they'd gone on the fritz earlier. He sighed, and had to admit that sometimes things just caught you off-guard, no matter how much experience you had. Well, he'd be ready next time
    "The rings," he muttered. They must have had a special virus on them. "Clever." That meant the woman in the bar had set him up. He'd follow up on that later.
    Since his mech-limbs were working again, he decided to use some of the special features he'd had embedded by a discreet private contractor a while back. Releasing a catch in his left bicep, he opened a compartment that held a small attachment. He latched it onto the outside of his left fist and squeezed. He was rewarded with the distinctive red light and sizzle of a small but powerful laser. He experimented turning it on and off, hearing the metal around him being damaged by the heat. Good, at least it wasn't Chrystum. Fortunately, his legs were mech, too, so they could handle the temperature if it got too hot.
    Slowly, patiently, he burned into what felt like a joint in the crate until he heard something rattle and fall with a heavy clunk. He cursed his luck and sped up. If there was a joint there, then there should be one...there. Good. Another rattle and clunk. He felt sweat on his forehead and his back. If he could get through the last one, he could make it out. He sped up his efforts, but slipped just enough to make things miserable.
    The laser was dislodged, and he had to fish around for it and reattach it before he could continue. Precious time lost. By rushing. Rookie mistake. He was sweating heavy now. It was getting hot inside the crate, and Quinn needed to break through soon if he didn't want to pass out from heat stroke.
    He heard voices and footsteps outside, and forced himself to keep going at a steady pace. He could tell the owners of the voices were in the room now. One of them spoke.
    “Hey, what's that there? That wasn't-”
    Before the guard could finish, the final joint was severed and fell to the floor. Quinn used his impressive strength to push the top of the metal crate open and jump up, grabbing the two men by their jackets and slamming their helmets together hard. He used enough force to knock them out, and then let them fall onto the metal floor-grate.
    He knelt down and picked up their pulse-guns, one for each hand. Once he confirmed they were both at full charge, he stood up and felt his mouth curl into a cold grin. Time to take the fight to them. He flipped the guns on to high stun. “Game on.”
    Quinn walked out of the room in time to see two more crewmembers rounding a corner down the narrow mechanical hallway, and tagged them both without breaking stride. They were knocked back into the walls before crumpling to the floor. Electricity sparked from the now-busted wiring they’d exposed on impact.
    The old Knight stepped over them and continued toward where he knew the bridge must be. They couldn't keep him from getting answers now. Not this time. He walked past an open door to what must be the crew quarters, and heard a scuffle behind him. When he heard steps onto the floor-grate from the rear, he fired shots over his shoulders and heard two men drop before he rounded the next corner.
    The door to the bridge was closed, of course. How could they not have heard him coming? Didn't matter. He looked to the right and saw a standard keypad with a hand-scan. He put his mechanical left hand on it and used another of the features he didn't get to try out very often...the keygen program. It sent out a flurry of signals until one locked in, and the door opened.
    Inside the small command room were two clean-cut men, both