When
9 awakens, he sees that 5 is tending to him and that his arm has been
fixed. Within their hideout, 5 tells him that 2 is usually better at
fixing them, unaware of 2's fate. At that moment, an elderly and
domineering ragdoll called 1 (Christopher Plummer) enters. He looks at 9 and angrily berates 5 for almost leading the Beast to them. A larger ragdoll named 8 (Fred Tatasciore) enters and appears to be 1's bodyguard.
1
orders them to all go to the upper level of the building, which they
travel to in a pulley-drawn bucket. Once there, 9 discovers that they're
inside a half-destroyed church: Notre Dame. The remnants of a fighter
plane lays within part of the church. 1 narrates the 'story' as he knows
it. When he first awoke, he saw that there was a war between man and
machine. As the ragdolls ran for their lives, 5 lost his left eye and
was saved by 2. While they remained hidden, the machines proved
victorious over man and deployed poisonous gas bombs that killed off all
life on Earth. All that remained was the ruins, the ragdolls, and the
Beasts.
1 tells 9 that all the ragdolls that were created, 3, 4,
7, and now 2, have been lost except for them. He orders 5 and 9 to go to
the watchtower while, in another room, 6 (Crispin Glover)
repeatedly draws the image of the Talisman on paper with his pen-like
fingers, appearing to be the one 2 was referring to. On the watchtower, 5
and 9 look through a telescope and see a large factory in the distance.
5 tells 9 that the factory is where the Beast would have taken 2, but
is reluctant to rescue him despite 9's insistence. When 9 argues that 2
would have tried to save them, 5 relents and procures a map that they
can use to get there.
As they walk, they discover 2's candle
headpiece and 5 wonders why he was out there all alone. They search for a
tunnel that will lead to their destination as a sandstorm rolls in and
blows the map away. 5 and 9 continue, knowing they can't go back now.
When the sandstorm dies down, they notice a large footprint on the
ground that they recognize as the Beast's. Needing light, they take a
small lightbulb from the headlight of a wrecked car and 9 fashions a
torch-staff with it. 5 sadly notes that clever 2 was just as likely to
have thought of something like that.
In the distance, the shadow of a creature with a beak finds 5's map.
5
and 9 finally arrive at the factory and find that it's a dark and
imposing place. 9 turns off his light to prevent unwanted attention as
they go inside. Eventually, they see a cage and discover 2 inside it. At
first he is unresponsive, but slowly wakes and is happy that they've
come for him. When they hear sounds nearby, 9 takes a look and sees the
Beast trying to insert the Talisman into a socket of some kind.
Suddenly, the Beast sees 9 and lunges to attack. At that moment, the
beaked creature appears and beheads the Beast. When it removes its
beaked headdress, the creature is revealed to be another ragdoll named 7
(Jennifer Connelly). 2
and 5 are ecstatic to see her, having given her up for dead, and
introduce her to 9. In the midst of their happy reunion, 9 picks up the
Talisman and unwittingly inserts it into the socket. 2 notices too late
and tries to stop 9, but the factory comes alive. A bright light shoots
out of the central machine and strikes 2 in the eyes and mouth and
drains his life force. His lifeless body falls to the ground in a heap.
With
no time to mourn 2, 5, 7, and 9 run from the awakened Machine, a large
spherical creature with a bright red light at its core and limb-like
electrodes protruding from it. The ragdolls' escape is blocked by a
chasm but 7 notices a lever overhead and uses 5's grappling gun to shoot
a hook around the switch. 7 and 9 grab 5 and swing towards a conveyor
belt on the other side. However, their collective weight throws the
switch and the resulting jerk causes 7 to lose her grip. 5 and 9 fall
onto the conveyor belt while 7 manages to grab a ledge. Activated by the
switch, the conveyor belt starts to move and 5 and 9 are forced to
dodge many large metallic objects. They fall to the floor below as the
Machine moves menacingly towards 7, sparking its electrodes. 5 and 9
distract it with their torch-staff and the Machine gives chase. 5 and 9
are able to hide from view for a few moments and reunite with 7 in the
tunnel. The Machine chases them inside but proves too large to fit in
the tunnel. The ragdolls escape.
Outside the factory, 5 is
devastated by 2's death, and 7 is furious at 9 for causing the chaos.
However, she knows where to find answers and tells them to follow her.
Meanwhile, the Machine uses materials around it to create a new monster.
5,
7, and 9 go to a library with a large courtyard filled with statues.
The ragdolls look at old paintings on the walls and see books scattered
all over the place. 7 calls, and small, twin ragdolls with hoods appear:
3 and 4. Despite being mute, their eyes project video memories. As they
look over 9, their eyes flash and analyze him with curiosity. 7 asks
them for help, saying that they've awakened something terrible. 9
guiltily corrects her, saying that 'he' woke the creature and the twins
project a video on a book describing 'The Machine'. As it turns out, the
Machine was created by the very same Scientist who created them. Under
orders from a dictatorial Chancellor (Tom Kane),
the Scientist commissioned the Machine and dubbed it the 'Brain'; a
device that has the ability to create its own machines. The Chancellor
used it to turn the tide of his war but it soon turned against mankind
and destroyed the world. For some reason, it fell inactive afterwards,
only to be reawakened by 9.
Eager to know more about the Talisman
that woke the Brain, 9 draws the three shapes that were inscribed on
it. 5 says that 6 draws those very shapes and 9 requests to see him. 7,
however, refuses to return to the church, explaining that she doesn't
like 1 very much before running off.
Unabashed, 5 and 9 return to
the church to see 6 but are grabbed by 8. 1 enters the room, furious,
and accuses them of dooming them all. 9 asks him who sent 2 out into the
world alone and 1 doesn't deny it. 6 enters and sees the shapes drawn
by 9. He says that the shapes are the 'Source' but, before 9 can ask
more, 1 orders them all locked up. 9 calls 1 a coward but 1 angrily
retorts that he'll do what it takes to keep them safe.
At that
moment, the church is attacked by the Brain's newly created Beast, a
creature that resembles a pterodactyl, with wings and a long beak. The
ragdolls flee for their lives as the Beast's attack lights the church on
fire, and they wind up on one of the wings of the crashed fighter
plane. Cornered, 7 enters and tries to attack the Beast from behind but
it turns and swats her away. She tries again but the Beast shoots a
cabled harpoon into her leg and begins to reel her in. 9 grabs her and
uses her spear to stab the Beast's wing, halting their movement. 8
arrives and cuts the taut cable which slingshots away and wraps around
the fighter plane's wing propeller, causing the wing to start sliding
downwards. 8 grabs a groove in the wing while 7 and 9 hold on, but 1
loses his balance and his staff. 9 grabs the staff and holds it out to 1
who grabs it. 5 and 6 land inside the propeller mechanism and turn the
propeller on. The spinning propeller pulls the Beast towards it but,
with a burst of strength and speed, the Beast leaps away and lands
inches from 1, taking his cape in its beak. 9 yells at 1 to remove his
cape. Reluctantly, 1 listens and releases it, sending the Beast snapping
backwards and into the propeller where it's torn apart and destroyed.
Thanks
to the fire, however, the ragdolls are now homeless and they leave the
church as it burns. 1 watches sadly as their 'sanctuary' smolders. They
all go to the library to live with 3 and 4.
Meanwhile, a drone
takes the remnants of the Beast back to the Brain. It becomes angry
until it focuses on 2's body and appears to hatch an idea.
At the
library, 8 is appointed as the lookout. It's quiet outside so he takes
the opportunity to use a magnet on his head to get some sort of high.
While 3, 4, 6, and 9 go over the symbol drawings, 1 becomes upset about
what he terms "dark science". 9 accuses him of sending 2 out to scout
purposely to kill him off. Indignant, 1 says that 2 was sacrificed
because he was old and weak. Furious, 7 jumps on him and puts a knife to
his throat. 9 talks her down and she walks off angrily. 1 leaves as
well. Short on answers, 9 decides to go to the First Room where he was
created. Outside, 8 hears something and looks around. He walks tensely
through the courtyard and suddenly sees 2 rise up in the air, his eyes
flashing like a strobe light. 8 becomes hypnotized.
In a separate
room, 1 walks alone in a huff before he becomes startled by a sound.
His fear increases when he sees 2 floating eerily towards him. Like 8, 1
becomes hypnotized by 2's flashing eyes. It's revealed that 2's body is
actually being used as a puppet by a snakelike Beast, the head of which
opens up to reveal a one-eyed skull. The serpentine body, covered in
fabric with jointed legs attached to it, picks 1 up and begins to tie
him in thread. Already stuffed inside the Snake, 8 lies still. As 1 is
reeled in, 5 and 9 rush out to his rescue. The Snake uses 2 again in an
attempt to hypnotize them as well but 9 averts his eyes. 5, however,
becomes entranced and is rooted to the spot. Just then, 7's spear hits 2
and embeds him in a wall nearby, stopping the hypnotic flashing. 7 runs
towards 2's body, dodging the Snake's attacks and retrieves her spear
before cutting the Snake's tail from 2's form. The Snake grabs hold of
her and 5 suddenly snaps out of his trance. He shoots the Snake in its
one eye, causing it to retreat and slither away with 7 and 8. 7 screams
out to 9 but the Snake escapes.
1 is safe but 9 tells him that
the Snake has taken 7 and 8. 9 proposes that they rescue them but 1
refuses. Still, 9 manages to persuade him. They perform funerary rites
for 2 and fit him on a raft with coins over his eyes, letting him float
freely into the sewers before they head off towards the factory. With
his torch-staff, 9 goes inside alone. He tells 5 that if he doesn't
return, 5 is to destroy the factory.
Inside, 9 watches as the
Snake hands 8 over to the Brain. 8's life force is drained into the
Brain, making it more powerful. As the Snake reaches for 7, 9 ties a
threat around a bolt and tosses it over a ledge between a pair of moving
cogs. He is able to distract the Snake which places 7 back inside
itself as it goes after 9. Through its one broken eye, it lunges at what
it thinks is a ragdoll and begins tying it up. The 'doll' is actually a
piece of burlap fabric wrapped around the torch-staff. When the Snake
inadvertently turns the light on the staff on, it recoils from the
light. 9 then burst out of his hiding place and runs with a knife in his
mouth. Finally seeing him, the Snake gives chase. The dummy ragdoll,
tied to the cabled bolt, is pulled along by the Snake until the cable is
caught in the moving cogs, yanking the Snake back. At that, 9 turns
around and runs up to the Snake, pulled upward by the cable. 9 uses his
knife to slash open the Snake's fabric body, freeing 7. The Snake is
pulled up and into the cogs where its head is crushed.
Outside, 1
and 5 prepare to push a barrel full of fuel inside the tunnel. 1 is all
for getting it done immediately, but 5 wants to wait for 7 and 9. They
are then noticed by a recon drone. Using 5's grappling gun, they rope it
and start to pull it down.
Inside, 7 and 9 are spotted by the
Brain which sends mechanical spiders after them. 7 and 9 sprint into the
tunnel and yell for the ragdolls outside to send in the barrel. 1 and 5
light the fuse and push the barrel into the tunnel. It is immediately
followed by the drone which they have tied to the barrel. As the barrel
and drone roll down the tunnel, 7 and 9 dodge it before escaping just in
time; the barrel knocks back all of the mechanical spiders and falls
into the factory where the Brain can only watch helplessly before it
explodes. The factory erupts in flames as the ragdolls escape.
The
ecstatic ragdolls start to celebrate and 3 and 4 put on a record
player, though 1 feels a bit downcast. As 5 chases a runaway LP record
he notices, to his horror, that the Brain is still alive. Mobile, it
chases him up the hill. 9 tries to run to 5's rescue but 1 suddenly
restrains him. The Brain grabs 5 and drains his life force, regaining
its strength.
The ragdolls run towards a rickety bridge with the
Brain in close pursuit. 6 then notices that the ragdolls absorbed by the
Brain have actually had their souls trapped inside of it. While they
are able to run easily across the bridge, the Brain proves too heavy and
the bridge gives way under it. As it tries to pull itself up, 6 tells
the other ragdolls not to destroy it or else their friends will be
trapped inside it forever. The Brain loses its grip and falls but
manages to grasp 6 and pulls him down with it. 6 cries out for the
others to go to the First Room for the Source before the Brain drains
his soul.
Safe for the moment, 9 tells the others that he wants
to abide by 6's wishes and go to the First Room, but the others are more
intent on destroying the Brain once and for all. 9 decides to run to
the First Room alone, where he finds schematics for the Brain and for
the ragdolls themselves. He discoveres a holographic projector marked
'9' and turns it on. An image of the Scientist appears and the man tells
9 about the Brain, a creation made up primarily of his own
intelligence. He then tells 9 that he and the other ragdolls are vessels
containing pieces of the Scientist's very soul, each representing a
part of his personality. 9 was his last creation before he finally died.
He shows 9 the Talisman and the sequence needed to turn the Brain off
permanently.
With this knowledge, 9 returns to the others who are
busy hurling bombs at the rapidly advancing Brain. 9 tells them that
the Scientist is the Source but 1 continues to throw bombs. As the Brain
gets closer, the dolls run and watch as the Brain becomes stuck in
barbed wire, giving them time to hide in a tunnel. 9 informs the others
that they have to remove the Talisman from the Brain, which suddenly
sets fire to a box of bullets in the tunnel, causing a huge explosion.
The ragdolls fall scattered, bruised but alive. 1, however, has lost a
few fingers. 9 bravely faces the Brain and, just before he is drained,
is pushed aside by 1 who is sacrificed and drained instead, having been
inspired to bravery by 9. 9 then grabs the Talisman from the Brain and
hits the sequence shown to him by the Scientist, aiming the Talisman
back at the Brain. The Brain screams as the souls are transferred into
the Talisman and the machine, soulless, explodes.
3, 4, and 7 emerge and find 9 slumped to the ground, but alive. 7 tells him that he did it, but 9 responds, "Not yet."
The
ragdolls light a fire and set 5 positions around it for their fallen
friends, each with their respective numbers. 9 hits the sequence on the
Talisman and, one by one, the souls of the fallen ragdolls are released,
glowing green in the night. 8 is the first out. He smiles at them,
followed by 6, 2 and 5, and then by 1. 1 approaches 9 and puts his hand
on his shoulder before turning and walking over to his marker on the
ground. The spirits then begin to rise together, except for 5 who gives 9
a questioning glance before smiling at 9's assuring nod. He joins the
others as they float towards the heavens becoming 5 columns of swirling
light in the purple-colored sky. 7 takes 9's hand and tells him that
their friends are finally free. The green lights coalesce, penetrating
the cloud cover, and disappear in a miniature explosion. It then begins
to rain for the first time in ages; a healing start to the rebirth of
the planet.
3, 4, 7, and 9 look up together as the rain falls on
them and 7 asks 9 what will happen next. 9 answers that he's not sure
but that the world is theirs now; it's what they make of it.
As
the rain falls, a closeup reveals tiny microorganisms thriving in the
water, indicating that life will start again to flourish in the world
again ... someday ...
