11) Daemonseed>
Shortly before the holiday Heaven's Day (which bears a suspicious resemblance to Christmas), Dorothy buys a black tie for Roger. She meets Roger shortly thereafter, but he's in a bad mood, and is snappy to her. She seems visibly dismayed by this, and bolts. Roger chases her down, apologizing. As he escorts her to the car, they encouter a street sax player outside of a department store, and Roger tips him handsomely. Back at the Smith household, Norman explains Heaven's Day traditions to Dorothy. According to him, gifts are exchanged and alms given to the poor in celebration of the city's founding on Heaven's Day. He goes on to explain that people also give gifts to those they love. Dorothy asks if Roger does this. Not surprisingly, he gets annoyed and flustered, and says he doesn't like the tradition of gift-giving; Dorothy, clearly upset, walks out. Did he do something wrong? Meanwhile, the poor sax player, Oliver, is at home with his blind girlfriend, Laura. The two feast on a small portion of ham he bought with the money he got from playing his instrument, and he tells her about the guy in the sharp black suit who gave him some money. He talks about how he wants to give her a present for Heaven's Day-- they seem to be a picture-perfect couple, albeit very poor. Later, Norman tells Roger that Dorothy's birthday is Heaven's Day, which would explain her unhappiness at his declaration of refusal to exchange gifts. Realizing his mistake, Roger asks Norman for her dress size, and dashes off to find a gift. A bit later, Oliver, on the job as a garbage man, stares at a coat in a window, talking to himself about how good Laura would look in it. But as he looks unhappily at the price tag (it's far too expensive for him to afford), Roger buys it for Dorothy. Oliver is dismayed, and goes back to work. But the Roger gets a job offer-- from Alex Rosewater himself. Oliver takes his pittance of pay, lamenting that he won't be able to get Laura a present. On the way home, he gets cornered by a very scary Santa Claus, who asks him if he'll be playing by the central dome on Heaven's Eve. When he ansers affirmatively, the santa gives him a strange-looking jewel and runs off. At Paradigm HQ, Rosewater shows Roger a strange card he'd received that seems to imply that the world will be wiped out on Heaven's Day. Roger grudgingly accepts the job... and asks Rosewater if he knows a good tailor for Dorothy's dress. Dastun shows Roger a photo of the chief suspect... a missing scientist who advocates the restoration of nature (at the expense of mankind). It's the evil Santa, of course. But they find nothing suspicious in the city center over the next couple of days. Why is Rosewater worried about the threat? Well, it turns out that there was another letter, about the apocalypse. Rosewater kept it from Roger. When Roger asks Dastun what he knows, Dastun says that Rosewater had told him that it was part of something called "book of revalations". Dorothy has a lead for Roger, however. Oliver's sax case has the same card Roger got from Rosewater. They follow Oliver home, and talk to him and Laura. Apparently, in one part of town, all the old people have the cards, as well. And they all sing strange songs. They sing praises they don't understand themselves. Is it church? Religion? As Roger and Dorothy depart, Oliver runs out and asks Roger if he'd buy the jewel. Roger angrily refuses, perhaps thinking Oliver had stolen it. Later, however, he seems to regret it. Dorothy visits Laura the next day (which happens to be Heaven's Eve), and reveals to the girl that she's an android. She then asks Laura why Oliver loves her so much. "You know how love just happens... you've felt that, haven't you?" Laura replies. Dorothy is silent. Laura goes on to explain that Oliver lives his life freely, and it's best for the both of them, so they're happy. The jewel, still in Oliver's possession, cracks... and starts growing with incredible speed. It was a seed! Oliver, obliviously playing his sax on the street, is caught and pulled up, but manages to recover his sax. He falls... but the Big O catches him, and fights the runaway plant. As they fight, Dorothy takes Laura and runs to the dome to meet them. It's a losing battle. The Big O just can't curb the thing's incredible growth. As he fights, Roger asks Norman to get Dorothy's coat from the tailor's. The butler comically rushes off on motorcycle to fetch the garment, doing so with style. Meanwhile, the battle goes badly for Roger. But suddenly, the tree stops growing. Dorothy, arriving at the scene just in time with Laura, says that it was designed that way. It's a huge Christmas tree. Oliver and Laura are reuinited, and watch Roger give his present to Dorothy. Oliver starts playing jingle bells on the sax. But when Roger wishes her a happy birthday, Dorothy testily replies that it isn't her birthday. Norman had tricked Roger! But Dorothy gives him a present. Taken aback, Roger gives her the coat he'd bought for her. She looks at it, and simply says, "Thank you, Roger." She tries the coat on, and it suits her-- she twirls and inspects herself, to the amusement of Roger. Meanwhile, a huge crowd has gathered to listen to Oliver's galloping jazz rendition of "Jingle Bells" under the tree, and Laura says that it's the best Heaven's Day gift ever. It starts snowing.
