Defiant

Frost-dusted grass was flattened beneath the heavy tread of his boots.  Here and there, there were crunching and scraping sounds where the textured metal soles found stones on or just beneath the ground’s surface.  He left behind footprints that were two inches deep, more angular than curved.

His breath fogged, but he barely felt the cold.  Various components and engines in his body kicked into action, offering warmth by way of waste and secondary functions.  The synthetic skin weathered the cold and held in the heat.  Efficiency, detail and effective use of waste were critical aspects of his particular brand of tinkering.

Teneral e.3