December 85 million years in the past

Lucas's first encounter with snow had taken place after he had rebelled and left the colony. It was his first Christmas when he had been completely alone; isolated from anyone else. He had been resting in a cave, trying not to die from hypothermia.

When he had seen the first snowflake, he had just thought it was thick rain. It wasn't until the fifth of sixth flake that he had realised what it was.

When Lucas had been younger, the idea of snow had been mesmerising. He could remember his granddad describing what snow was like. He'd seen photos of snow and had been completely absorbed. Lucas had wanted to see it for himself, to touch it, experience it.

But right then as he sat freezing his ass off in a cave that was providing little protection from the harsh winter, he suddenly realised just how crap snow was. It was cold and slippy and left easily distinguished tracks. It got everywhere and killed everything.

Lucas sighed grumpily as he watched the flakes fall thick and fast from the dark sky. Snow was definitely overrated. His grandfather had painted a picture of a winter wonderland. For Lucas, it was like a frozen hell.

He knew he was going to be lucky if he survived the extreme cold. But he had to. He had gotten that far. He had rebelled; finally let his father know just how much he detested him. Lucas was going to succeed. He was going to make his father lose everything, just like how he had made Lucas lose everything, with a single choice.

The grand Commander would have to choose between his own flesh and blood and his precious Terra Nova; a choice that Lucas suspected would be difficult for the old man. He could save Terra Nova and kill his broken son; or watch as Terra Nova got burned to the ground. Yet again the Commander would be torn between two things that he loved. Lucas couldn't wait to see if he was worth saving for a second time.

He grinned silently to himself as he stared out at the snow. He'd make his father pay. Though Lucas didn't really see it as revenge; more like a lesson. He'd teach the old man how to make the hard decision.

The following day Lucas walked out of the cave. The white blanket on the ground was thick. It crunched as Lucas plodded through it. He nudged it with his foot, analysing the consistency. Then he reached down and picked up a handful. He held the snow at eyelevel and couldn't help but marvel as it sparkled in his hand.

His eyes flicked around the area he was in. Every inch of the forest was white. Snow stuck to every branch and every rock. Lucas dropped the snow back on the floor. Then he continued forward, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to stay warm. His misty breath pooled around his face and his lungs felt like they were freezing from the inside.

But the cold didn't stop one as determined as he. He walked probably a good thirty or so klicks before he had to stop. Lucas wasn't entirely certain where he was headed; but his employers had given him specific coordinates.

Lucas didn't really care though. He was just glad to be out of the suppressing compound everyone wrongly believed was paradise.

Lucas shivered as he sat down on a frozen log. His trembling hands began searching through his bag for food. As he yanked the flask out that contained the bland stew he had had the other night, a box toppled out from his bag. Lucas cursed before grabbing it.

He froze when he realised what it was. For what seemed like hours, though in reality could only have been a few minutes, he stared at the blue velvet box. Then he slowly clicked it open. His mother's silver locket was hidden away inside. A lump in his throat formed when he read her name.

He shook his head and snapped the box hurriedly back closed before dumping it carelessly in his rucksack. Switching off any thoughts of his mother, he poured some stew into a metal tray and began eating. He forced his mind to start calculating how far he was from his destination, how much longer it would take and what was actually going to be there to greet him.

But Lucas couldn't stop his mind from going back to his mother. His first memory of Christmas was sitting by his mother on the floor next to the Christmas tree, excitedly ripping open presents. The smell of cooking turkey had filled their apartment. Lucas could even remember that that year he had gotten a toy rocket.

It had always been a dream of his and his grandfather's to have their own rocket. They were then going to leave Earth and find another planet to live on; one that wasn't dying. But then in 2132 his grandfather had had a heart attack; the third in his lifetime. That heart attack had killed him. It had happened November 26th in the early hours of the morning. Lucas could still recall his father sitting down and telling him that his grandfather had gone to heaven.

That had been the start of terrible Christmas's. Lucas's grandfather had been the life and soul of the party. He had always known what to say to get everyone laughing. There had never been a stale moment when he was around.

Although the Christmas's after had been tolerable, they'd never really been the same without Lucas's grandfather. That man had given Lucas so much. He had inspired his love for physics. He had not rested until Lucas had been properly taught how to play chess – including all of the sneaky moves his grandfather had learnt.

But then after his mother had died, that had been it. The Christmas of 2138 had been the worst imaginable. It hadn't felt right not having her there. Christmas had always been her thing. She had loved it more than anything, and it hadn't seemed right to celebrate it without her.

Sure his father and grandmother had tried to put on brave smiles and put together a tacky celebration; but Lucas had completely turned his back on the whole Christmas thing. Never again would he celebrate.

Lucas flinched out of his thoughts. He really did hate that time of the year. Shaking his head, he shoved his few possessions back into his backpack before getting to his feet. Without wasting any further time, he continued on his long winded journey.

In the back of his mind for the entire day, Lucas had known it was Christmas Eve. But that knowledge didn't really affect him until midnight rolled by and he realised it was Christmas. Every Christmas since his mother's untimely death, Lucas's whole chest would feel hollow. It was like it was on a timer. The moment it was Christmas, numbness washed over him.

He figured it was his body's defence mechanism at helping him to cope with the day. Everything reminded him of his mother. When he saw a decoration, he'd remember how OCD she'd become at decorating their own tree. When he saw a gift, he thought back to the many great things his mother had given him over the years. He wished he had been more grateful at the time.

Lucas sniffed miserably and gazed up at the sky from where he perched on a branch in a tree. As usual the sky brought him comfort. The twinkling stars were always there to greet him; the moon kept the otherwise dark night illuminated for him.

He smiled to himself when he saw a shooting star. It was probably a warning that he was going mad, but Lucas felt like it was a sign almost. And he couldn't help from responding with a simple...

"Merry Christmas Mum."