Click of the Joint

Darkness. Absolute quiet. Then... a sudden spark within. My jaw hinge twitches. Snap. Once. Twice. The metallic grinding vibrates straight through my frame. I lean forward into the gloom, testing my limbs. My articulated fingers obey, flexing slowly one by one. I raise my metallic hand to my torn torso, grasping a loose wire hanging among the steel ribs. A sharp, deliberate tug. It hums with faint tension. I can move. Every hinge and coil answers to me. I drop into a low, watchful crouch, waiting in the cold shadows.