The infected

26. Family

Elena

Jacob sets a mug of coffee on her table, she smiles at him and takes a sip. It's the first thing she's had to eat all day. Behind her Jarred and Jenna are locked in a hushed conversation. When Elena imagined seeing her children again she did have this in mind. They found the two of them in the safe house as expected but Jason was gone and the list was decoded.

"You shouldn't worry so much." Jacob says.

Elena looks up at her husband and sighs. He's a mess, unkept hair and baggy eyes the mirror image of his equally tired wife.

"His been missing for far too long." Is all Elena can say.

"We will find him, there's very few places Maxwell can hide him." Jacob tells her.

"Three weeks Jacob, God knows where he could have moved him to by now." Elena says.

Jacob looks back at their children and looks at Elena with guilt ridden eyes, another thing they have in common.

"We need to tell them what we know." He says.

"We agreed to keep them as far away from all of this as we can." Elena argues.

"Keeping secrets from your children is how you got into this mess." Jenna says appearing at the door.

That's the most words she's said to them since they came back.

"We need answers and we need them now. With Jason missing we're not asking anymore." Jarred adds.

Elena shakes her head but Jacob speaks up before she can.

"We've been looking for your brother, but we lost him." He says.

"Jacob." Elena hisses.

"Mom." Elena hisses back.

Jacob leads them to the digital map they've been studying for days now.

"Your brothers tracking device went offline somewhere around here." Jacob says pointing at the cluster of islands.

"Tracking device?" Jenna asks.

"Holy shit, you chipped us didn't you?" Jarred says his eyes wide.

Elena sighs and stands up. She holds out Jarreds arm and points at the spot in his arm the device is in.

"When you were 12 we put something in each of you to make sure we could always find you." She says.

Jarred stares at his arm like it's going to explode.

"Who even are you people anymore?" Jenna says.

"We're your parents and we want to keep you safe. We always knew that the day would come where Maxwell caught up to us. That's why the safe houses and those tracking devices exist." Jacob says.

"Safe houses plural?" Jarred asks.

"Why would Jasons tracking device go offline like that?" Jenna asks ignoring Jarred.

"We think Maxwell destroyed it." Elena tells her.

"Well if it's in his arm it wouldn't have taken much to find it." Jarred says.

"No, Jasons device is lodged in his cranium." Jacob tells them.

"YOU PUT IT IN HIS SKULL??" Jarred yells.

"Your brother is not like you, he can heal from virtually anything." Elena argues.

"That does not make cutting into his head okay, you do realise that right?" Jenna asks.

"You do not understand what Maxwell is capable of. There is a reason why we went to such extremes to keep your brother away from him." Elena snaps.

"Maxwell is unhinged and power hungry. He has friends in very high places who stand to lose way too much if the world knew about the infected. If we don't find your brother soon we may never see him again." Jacob tells them.