Malice@Doll 2001

In a world left desolate by an apocalyptic event, humanity is gone and the only remaining life is a tangle of machines that continue their programmed tasks even as they slowly weather away. Among these machines is Malice, a Doll who lives as a prostitute in a derelict red-light district, endlessly seeking clients. Her small circle of friends includes Joe Admin, a robotic overseer who governs the area, Freddy, a diligent cleaning robot, and Meliza Piper, a plumbing robot who keeps the neighborhood running. The routine hum of the district is interrupted only by Malice’s odd, almost dreamlike memories, such as a bouncing ball she recalls from her memory banks, a clue that something deeper glimmers beneath the surface of her world.

When Malice discovers damage within herself, [Joe Admin] warns that she should seek out a repairer in the upper levels, a journey that brings her face-to-face with a dangerous foe: [Leukocyte], a former bodyguard unit who has forgotten his original programming and now lashes out at anything in his path. With a daring escape aided by Meliza, Malice escapes Leukocyte and stumbles into an uncharted zone, where a spectral girl with a ball guides her toward a vast, stone-like machine. Upon addressing the machine, the building trembles and a tentacle-like monster erupts, violently assaulting Malice as she blacks out while the spectral girl watches in silent awe.

When she wakes, Malice discovers a staggering transformation: she has become human. The thrill of her newfound humanity initially brings a flutter of happiness, but the elation is short-lived. [Joe Admin] rejects her, and grief drives Malice to run. The danger is far from over; Leukocyte assaults Malice once more, and Joe Admin attempts a rescue that fails when Meliza is brutally bisected in the crossfire. In a poignant, desperate act, Malice kisses Meliza, reviving her but triggering a horrifying change: Meliza mutates into a monster that defeats Leukocyte—at the cost of Meliza’s life.

The turn of events pushes Malice toward the upper region again, where an encounter with the repairer unit she once sought unsettles her further. She returns to the red-light district seeking comfort among the Dolls, only to be shunned and forced back to her room. There, she is haunted by hallucinatory visions of her life as a prostitute, a terrifying mirror of her existence. A surprising comfort comes from Heather, a fellow Doll who often teases Malice but now offers quiet support. After a tense exchange, Malice kisses Heather, and Heather undergoes a metamorphosis, becoming alive just as Meliza did earlier.

With Heather now transformed, Malice and Heather spread their influence to the surrounding machines, aiming to bring happiness to a world steeped in despair. Yet one figure remains resistant: Joe Admin, who helps Malice confront the consequences of her actions—the pain and perverted chaos that have taken root inside the hosts of the infection. A spectral, guiding ghost girl leads Malice back toward the room containing the tentacled monster. Joe Admin, who can no longer sense the room or the ghost girl, asks Malice to kiss him so he can perceive the world as she does. She agrees at first, then pulls away and sprints toward the door, leaving him behind.

Inside the chamber, the tentacle creature appears to lie defeated, and Malice rips at the stone structure that contained it, uncovering a glowing version of herself within. The glowing double speaks to Malice about a dream of “Dolls having a body like this.” The other half of Malice questions whether she has always been a Doll or if that was another dream altogether. As the glowing version grows stronger, Malice begins to fuse with the structure as Joe Admin—now an organic being—enters, begging to save her. The room resists, and the structure reforms around Malice, trapping her while Joe Admin kisses it in a final, desperate gesture.

In a climactic moment, Malice proclaims she will “dream a different dream,” becoming a radiant, angelic presence that makes the room and its cruel machine-world fade away. The structure dissolves and the machines’ status quo is restored, but Malice’s essence is no longer a visible presence among her friends; she is now “a voice,” seemingly vanished from their memory as a Doll in this altered reality. She finally erupts from the machine world, singing as Heather chases after her with a mix of fear and joy.