"It makes sense. There are travelers from my world, those who can, for lack of a better term, bend time. They step through it. It looks to be teleportation, but it's simply the ability to manipulate physics on a quantum level." He nods. "There are other theories as well, though I had yet to prove them. I was very close, years ago, but I abandoned the project. It worked, though it had some nasty side effects."

He shakes his head. "Likely, it's something specific they need from sentient beings. Creativity, hope, energy... souls?" Walter is on the fence about the existence of souls. "My colleague once argued they existed, that they were merely specific sorts of energy that could be stored in something he deemed 'soul magnets'. He said he'd return to prove me wrong." He smiles. "I haven't heard from him yet."

Walter shrinks again--he's rather good at it--when she says Olivia seemed to be already 'awakened'. "Maybe she has."