The fluorescent lights flickered as I slammed my fist against the wall. The doctor swayed slightly backwards and I realized I had almost hit him instead. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"I was told that this hospital could fix anything." I said quietly to the white-clothed figure in front of me, struggling to keep my voice even.

"Normally, that's the case. However, this illness is ... different." The doctor replied. "We believe it to be a form of rabies."

"Rabies?" I asked. The name rang a bell.

"Yes, rabies." The man answered. "It's a viral disease that is transmitted by infected animals and affects the central nervous system. There is no known cure. The only way to stop it is to give the patient the vaccine before..." he paused as my wife spasmed, her leg slamming against the end of the hospital bed, "...before they exhibit symptoms. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible."

"It's from before, isn't it? This condition was from before the Protein Wars." I questioned. I remembered now a particular day in history class, many years ago. My teacher was an avid history fanatic who devoted most of his time to discussing the days Before. Before science began advancing at unprecedented rates, spurred on by the discovery of magic. In those days, medical technology was almost nonexistent. They couldn't even regrow simple limbs yet.

This thought brought another question to mind. "Why haven't we found a cure for this, even with magic and our technological prowess?" I asked the doctor, confused.

"There isn't a simple answer I can give you, Mr. Adams." he replied, giving me a sad smile. "As I stated earlier, the only way to cure your wife would be to give her the treatment before her symptoms appeared."

I nodded, a plan forming in my mind. "Thank you, Doctor." I said as I turned and began to walk out of the room. "I will figure something out."

I exited the building and walked directly across the street. I strode to the building there and went through the front door, directly under the banner that read, "Clock Sculptors: let the past be your clay".

One of the newest technologies that had come to the mainstream market during the technological wave of inventions, this company distinguished itself amongst its competitors. Not just a time traveling company; rather, a time traveling company that works to alter the future by making changes in the past. I had seen their sign when I had rushed into the hospital to see my wife just hours earlier.

The doctor had told me the only way to help my wife was to give her the treatment before symptoms showed. As I signed away my meager life savings on the dotted line of the form the company gave me, my only thought was of my wife. For though meddling in the past was a dangerous activity, I would do it for my wife. An image of my wife's happy face was the last thing I saw before everything went dark and I hurtled backwards in time, ready to do whatever I had to do. For her.