Takashi Komuro stepped through the halls of the underground shelter his once dark hair was now a heavy shade of silver and his brown eyes held years of wisdom and warfare. The halls were cold lifeless and metallic, as he glanced around to the people running to and fro he could help but grimace. All were older of course in this world there was almost no young anymore not since 'They' appeared. He stopped and looked at an old calendar one that stopped on what the remaining historians called 'Z-Day' the day the Zombies took over the world.
It had been seventy years since then and he was now an old man but still fit years of fighting for his life left him with that little gift. He fought back tears as memories of him and his wife fighting their way out of Tokonosu, with a small growl he turned walking away. She had lost her life along with their son to the creatures. He banished those thoughts as he heard a few scientists shouting about something preparing some sort of machine, they found a cure but it too little too late. As it stood there were only maybe a few hundred humans left in the entire world and that number was declining rapidly.
Birth rates had fallen while many adults and teens died due to malnutrition as well as disease. Takashi shook his head ever since then they had been working on a supposed time machine. This was a last ditch effort for mankind considering everyone in the shelter were the last humans on Earth and the Zombies were close to breaching the barrier that kept them out.
He couldn't believe that this was going on they had fought for so long, now all of their efforts were for naught. The so called cure only worked a few minutes after being bitten; after that it was too late. Fresh tears began to well up in his eyes as he remembered Saeko, their son Hisashi and Rei; it took him a long time but he forgave the grey haired boy and what better way to honor him than name his first born after him. His knees trembled sending him into the wall where he remembered his first wife Saeko Busujima, well he and Rei had never married raising Hisashi as if he were her own. He couldn't bear to remarry after the Violet haired woman died. Rei knew that and accepted what he was able to give her knowing full well he didn't love her.
Slamming a fist into the wall the pain bringing him out of it and recovering his composure he stood straight before making his way back to the room where he was summoned to. The messenger had told him that they had succeeded and he was the one they were going to send back. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about them wanting to send him back but he would do it if only to see her again. For many years after her death he found himself staring at her sword lying next to his, during their travels they had met a Shinobi master who took Takashi under his wing training him. He found it funny that the man was an enemy of Busujima clan but the end of the world destroyed the feud.
Saeko and himself spared regularly after that keeping each other's' skills sharp. He shook his head to remove those thoughts and before he knew it the door he was seeking was right in front of his nose. He knocked heavily before the door slid open revealing a grizzled old man in glasses, brilliant beyond belief Akira Tohyama was the one who came up the concept. He motioned him in "Come in Master Komuro. We are just finishing the preparations" he said before moving away to type at an old computer. As Takashi glance around he couldn't help but notice the decrepit machinery. It was no secret that after Z-Day along with the massive EMP sent the world back to the Stone Age, technology suffered greatly with only outdated and obsolete components surviving. Takashi felt apprehension entering him about this and he wondered if it would actually work.
Akira stared at Takashi wringing his hands glancing nervously at the table in front of him and himself "Master Komuro if you would please lay on the table, we are ready to begin."
The machine itself looked like an MRI machine but heavily modified, wires hung out of every panel with electrodes protruding from the top, bottom and sides. The round surface had been made rectangular with many heavy welds running along the sides. He nodded before removing his shirt and laying on the table, he had grown taller as the years progressed and filled it out with impressive muscle built by fighting for his life and the training he received.
Taking a deep breath he glanced to the doctor "What year will I arrive in" his voice was calm despite his inward fear.
The doctor pushed his glasses up on his face and now that Takashi really looked at him the man was frail. He never noticed before how the man seemed to jump at every little noise always wringing his hands and avoiding people save his assitants. Takashi wondered how this skittish man ever survived this long in the Zombie Apocalypse.
"We have it set for you to arrive exactly six months before the outbreak. From there you should be able to either stop it or prepare key people for it. With enough preparation the human race should have a better chance at surviving it."
He nodded "Doctor one thing. How am I supposed to do that? I was a teenager at that time, so how am I to be taken seriously?"
"I'm sure you read all the documentation we have on Z-Day correct" he waited for the nod before continuing "tell me what you remember of the information we gathered."
Takashi sighed and began reciting the file word for word information which included where it began, how it started, what viruses were used. When everything was ready the Akira nodded when satisfied "Alright master Komuro you have everything you need, I wish you good luck and Godspeed. Save the human race" the man said something under his breath what sounded like save my family but Takashi couldn't be sure.
After typing in a few commands the machine whirred to life making an assortment or noises not the least of which sounded like gears grinding. The lights on the machine glowed even brighter than the lights outside had as the ones in the room and hall dimmed. The table slid into the machine where Takashi felt like he was being microwaved, he screamed as his insides burned. Outside of his own voice he heard small explosions along with man racing around shouting to shut it off. Eyes clenched tight in pain a bright light bored through his eyelids he could smell something familiar but couldn't place it. In the din of his screaming he heard someone shout they had gotten in. He let out one last roar of pain before darkness enveloped him.