You unlock this door with the k e y of ima Gina t/on.
Beyond it is another dimension...
A dimension of sound...
A dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
You're moving into a land of both shadowand substance,
of things and ideas.
You've just crossed over into the twilight zone.
Couple of beers, honey, huh?
Man, listen to that squeak.
What do you expect?
Well, when we get paid off,
we'll get him all the oil paste he needs.
If we can find any.
Well, why shouldn't we?
Because they don't make it anymore.
That's crazy, there's plenty of 82's around.
Name five.
Will he be all right?
If he don't get hit.
Well, it's no use glaring at me
you know he's shot.
That ain't true,
he just needs a little work.
Yeah, a little 4,000 dollar overhaul
with parts they don't make anymore.
Thanks.
The way you tell it, pole,
you'd think he was ready for the scrapheap.
Ain't he?
No. There's plenty of fight left in maxo.
Is he gonna be all right?
Steel, I don't know.
He needs work, you know that.
The trigger Springs in his left arm
has been rewired so many times,
it's just about had it.
He's got no protection on that side.
The eye lens is cracked.
The leg cables are worn... they got no tension.
Even his gyro is off.
Not to mention the oil paste he ain't got.
We'll get him some.
Yeah, after the fight.
What about during the fight?
He'll be creaking around that ring
like a steam shovel.
It'll be a miracle if he goes two rounds.
It's not that bad, pole.
It's worse... Wait till that crowd
gets a load of battling maxo from Philadelphia.
We'll be lucky to get our car fare home
much less 500 bucks.
The contract's signed, they can't back out now.
The contract is for battling maxo...
Not this steam shovel here.
Maxo's going to do all right.
Againsta b7?
It's a starter b7... don't even have the kinks worked out yet.
Battling maxo... one-round maxo
the battling steam shovel.
Will you shut up?
What are you always knocking him for?
He's been doing all right for five years.
He'll keep doing okay.
Okay, so he needs a little work, a little oil paste.
We get the 500 bucks, we'll get him that stuff...
New trigger spring, oil paste, eye lens, everything.
Yeah, you're gonna do okay, boy.
You're gonna do okay.
Sports item, circa 1974:
Ba ttl /ng maxo, 52, hea vywe/ght,
a ccompan/ed b y his manager and handler,
arr/ves /n ma ynard, Kansas,
for a scheduled six-round bout.
Battling maxo is a robot, or, to be exact, an Android,
definition: An automaton resembling a human being.
Only these automatons have been permitted in the ring
since prizefighting was legally abolished in 1968.
This is the story of that scheduled six-round bout.
More specifically, the story of two men
shortly to face that remorseless truth:
That no law can be passed
which will abolish cruelty or desperate need,
nor, for that matter, blind animal courage.
Location for the facing of said truth:
A small, smoke-filled arena
just this side of the tw/I/ghtzone.
Oh, for...
Tip him, huh.
What's the use?
Tip him!
Okay.
You know, I don't get you, pole.
After seven months, we finally get a bout
and all you can do is complain.
Some bout... maynard, Kansas,
the prizefighting center of the nation.
It's a start, ain't it?
What we earn here, we can put maxo back in shape.
Huh, if he wins.
Hah!
I don't get you. He's our fighter.
Why do you keep writing him off?
I'm a class-a mechanic,
not a daydreaming kid.
We got us a piece of dead iron here.
Shh. Somebody will hear you.
Simple mechanics... Maxo will be lucky
to get out of the ring with his head on.
Wrong. It's a starter b7, full of kinks.
Just full of them.
Sure, sure.
Come in.
Mr. Nolan?
No, Maxwell.
Nolan will be back in a couple of minutes.
I'm, uh... I'm Kelly.
Battling maxo's manager.
Oh, yeah.
And this is pole, my mechanic.
Sit down. Nolan will be right back.
Oh, thanks, thanks.
Uh... maybe you heard
about my fighter, Mr. Maxwell.
Hmm?
You heard of my fighter?
Nope.
Oh, he was almost the world's
heavyweight champion once.
I... I used to be a heavyweight myself.
Before the law was passed, of course.
Yeah, I used to box under the name of "steel" Kelly.
They called me that because I never got knocked down.
Not... not once.
Well, gonna be a great fight tonight, huh?
My boy here took dimsey the rock back in '71.
You remember that.
Nope.
It was all over the east coast newspapers...
Boston, New York, Philly.
Well, that's where we're from... Philly.
Biggest upset of the year... made the headlines...
Mr. Nolan?
Hmm?
Kelly.
I was wondering if you'd make it.
Your fighter in shape?
Yes, my mechanic here took him apart
and put him back together before we left Philly.
You're lucky to get a bout.
We ain't used nothing less than b4's in almost two years.
Fighter we had got ruined in a car wreck, though.
Oh, you got nothing to worry about,
my fighter's in top shape.
Hey, you know,
he took dimsey the rock back in '71.
I just want a good fight.
Oh, you'll get it, Mr. Nolan.
You'll get it.
Oh, uh, do you have a ready room that we can use?
I like to give him a last-minute check.
Number five down the hall.
And your bout's at 9:00.
Yes, sir.
Oh, Mr. Nolan, uh... I, uh...
You get your money after you deliver a fight.
Yes, sir.
Okay, see you then.
Mr. Maxwell.
Oh, boy.
Five.
I want you to check him over good, now.
What for?
Did you hear me?
Yeah.
He'll take that lousy b7.
Sure he is, with his teeth.
I wish we'd gotten that oil paste.
I told you they wouldn't sell any here... why should they?
Maxo is probably the only b2 in a thousand miles.
I hear morley's coming out with a b9 this year.
Hypertrigger in both arms and legs.
All steel and aluminum, triple gyro, triple-twisted wiring.
Say/t'll be able to stand up after knookdowns, too.
Well, is he okay?
Sure, he's great...
If this doesn't blow. Well, why should it?
It's subpar, I told you that eight months ago.
Well, we'll get another one after the bout.
Yeah, another 75 bucks down the drain.
Look, he's earning us $500, ain't he?
Take it easy on that left.
If it don't work now, it won't work tonight.
Save it.
Okay, set him so he don't counterpunch.
Oh, they'll hear him in the back row.
All right, try the rest.
He'll get more than two punches thrown at his head.
Try the rest, I said.
Okay, put him on automatic.
Oh, he's beautiful, just beautiful.
Steel, we got to put him on defense.
He'll get chopped to pieces if we let him move in.
Oh, for... He's a b2, steel, a b2!
He's gonna get slaughtered anyway
we might as well save the pieces.
But the contract calls for him to be on offensive.
Ah, what's the use?
Come on, let's test him some more.
Will you just what for? He's... do like I say?
What'd you do?
I told you not to mess with that left.
So help me if you broke it.
If I broke it!
This heap's been going on borrowed time
for the past three years.
Don't you talk to me about breakages!
Open him up.
Sure, sure.
You just find another mechanic
who coulda kept this steamshovel going
these last few years... You just find one.
Fix it.
Steel, I... fix it.
Steel, I can't.
Look, you broke it, now you fix it!
Let go of me.
It's gotta be fixed.
It needs a new spring.
Then get one.
Don't you understand?
They don't make 'em anymore.
Well, if they don't watch the fights...
What?
If Nolan and Maxwell don't watch the bouts...
What are you talk...?
What are you, crazy?
You're outta your mind. You can't do that.
We deliver a fight or we don't get paid.
Come on, steel, they'll never let you.
You can't make them believe...
Listen, you can't do it.
Nobody knows what maxo looks like.
Only those two guys in the office saw me,
and if Nolan and Maxwell don't watch the bouts,
well, why should the crowd know?
Steel!
The b2's bleed just like any of the new ones,
and bruise, the whole thing.
Look, I can wire my sister.
She'll send us the dough to get back east.
I know a guy in Philly wants to sell a b5 cheap.
We can scurry up the cash...
Steel, use your head, will you?
It's a b7... you'll get mangled.
I'm not gonna let you do it, I'm gonna...!
You're gonna help me...
Or I'm going to beat your brains out.
You'll get killed, steel.
Then I will.
Hey.
You're late.
Where's the owner?
In the audience.
I should've told him.
I'd have killed you if you had.
You'll have to towel me off between rounds.
Between what rounds? You won't last even one.
You think you're going up against, another fighter?
You're going against a machine, you big, dumb...
Just do like I say, huh?
If I towel you off, they'll know, won't they?
They ain't seen a b2 around here in years. Nolan said so.
Anybody asks, just tell them it's an oil leak.
Sure, sure.
Well, if it ain't battlin' maxo!
Scrap iron, scrap iron!
Ladies and gentl emen!
The fifth contest of the evening...
A six-round hea vyweight bout
fea turing, from Philadelphia,
a b2, ba ttling maxo!
Get that pile of junk out of here!
Rattlin' maxo, you mean!
And his opponent, our own b7,
the ma ynard flash.
This is your last chance.
Get out.
Stay away from him, then.
Get tha t tanker a bicycle!
Get tha t jun/(Pile out of there!
Don't do it.
Kill him, kill him, kill him!
Kil I him!
Wha t a fighter he is!
Can you get up?
Steel, can you get up?
All right, hold it, now.
Hold it.
The robe.
What?
Get the robe.
Hold it down, tha t's enough, now.
Ladies and gentlemen, the winner,
in 2 minutes and 20 seconds of the first round,
the ma ynard flash!
Get tha t pile of tin out of here!
Rusty pile of junk!
Get out of here!
You big, dumb...
What?
Go get the money.
But...
Now!
Oh, you get the money, huh?
Did you get the money?
Half of it.
What do you mean?
He wouldn't pay five c's for a one-rounder.
Are you kidding...?
There's nothing we can do about it.
He's got a bunch of toughs in there.
We're lucky he didn't run us out of town.
Okay.
We'll take the bus back.
We'll take the bus backall the way.
That'll cost us about 60, 70 bucks.
That'll leave 200 almost.
We can get a new lens plate, trigger Springs, oil paste.
Yeah, lots of oil paste.
Maxo'll be good as new, huh?
We'll get some good bouts, maxo, huh?
That's all he needs is a little overhaul...
Oil paste, trigger Springs, eye lens.
Yeah, maxo's going to be all right.
We'll show 'em whata good b2 can do
huh, maxo, right? Right.
Right, pole, huh?
Huh?
Sure, steel.
Portrait of a I os/ng side,
proof positive that you can't outpunch machinery.
Proof also of something else:
Tha t no ma tter what? t the future brings,
man's capacity to rise to the occasion w/ll remain unal tered.
H/s potential for tenac/ty and opt/m/sm continues,
as al wa ys, to outf/ght, outpo/ntand outl/ve
anyand all changes made byh/s society,
for which three cheers and a unanimous decision
rendered from the twilight zone.
And now, Mr. Serl/ng.
On the tw/I/ghtzone, next, comes more exciting work
from the typewriter of Richard Matheson.
Our show is called "nightmare at 20,000 feet"
William shatner and Christine white
share performing honors in an aircraft
but it's the kind of flight none of us have ever experienced
and I might add, I hope none of us ever will.
"Nightmare at 20,000 feet."
Next time out on... The twilight zone.