What a strange question. He walked in, unannounced, and now he was politely asking to be excused? Maybe there was more to him than he first appeared.

Eight shrugged, giving him a scrutinizing stare. "You don't need my permission for that." She reached for a can of oil as her attention returned to her work. "I'll focus on tightening the bolts and lubricating the joints. If you're not back in a half-hour I'm going back to figuring things out on my own."

Frankly, she could use the break from fixing the part. She was trying to figure out how to fix the problem for the past hour. The rest is finishing touches, with a final spit and polish to wrap this job up.