What's the connection between Time travel, fate, Gnosticism and your grandfather? In this episode our virtual couple, provide the background character originally created by Nathan McGrath in his upcoming novels "The Mechanics" and "Nudge",Our unreal duo revisit the scientific, philosophical and religious literature to knock up an easy to understand background to one of Nathan's most unique creations.

Nathan said of Val, "I came up with her late in writing 'The Mechanics. I wanted a person who worked outside of all the conventional 'heroes with a purpose, story arc, or objective. She has no challenges, no heroes journey. She is totally free of all narrative trappings and plot conventions, yet is absolutely crucial to the story's unfolding'

Val is an integral part of the universe itself. Her existence and actions are the very means by which balance is maintained. In this view, the universe is fated to remain in balance, and Val is the inevitable and necessary mechanism to ensure that fate. Her impulsive actions are not random; they are the universe's built-in "immune system" responding to threats. The outcome, balance, is inevitable, and Val's actions are the means to that end. This doesn't contradict her free will, but rather suggests that her will is perfectly aligned with the universe's ultimate destiny.