ALEXI MURDOCH'S 'ALL OF MY DAYS' # I have been searching all of my days. # All of my days. # Many a road, you know I've been walking on # all of my days, # and I've been trying to find # what's been in my mind # as the days keep turning into night. # Well, I have been quietly standing in the shade # all of my days. # Watch the sky breaking on # the promise that we made. # All of this rain. # And I've been trying to find # what's been in my mind # as the days keep turning into night # Well, many a night I found myself with no friends standing near # All of my days. # And it's coming into sight # as the days keep turning into night. # As the days keep turning into night. # And even breathing feels all right. # Yes, even breathing feels all right. # Yes, even breathing # feels all right. (music fades) (crickets chirp) (phone rings) Gee. Oh... Aah! (phone continues ringing) (grunts) Hang on, hang on, hang on. Oh, come on. Yeah. MAN (over phone): Where are you, Charlie? More importantly, where is my money? You're into me for 30 grand. -All right, all right. Jack, Jack, Jack, I'm gonna pay you. This ain't Jack! It's Bill Panner. You owe Jack money, too? Charlie, you pay me first. Bill, hey. No, we're good, buddy. I got your money. It's right here in my hand, so, uh... why don't we meet up, uh, on the, uh... teenth or the, uh... iner... We good... Flight... I'm good... ah... B... I... Bill? Charlie, your phone's going all screwy. -Hello? -I'm losing you, Bill. -Hey, I... -Wait! Charlie, I can't hear what you're say-- (sighs) GIRL: Hey, mister. Is that Ambush? Uh... yeah. Can we see him? -You want to see him? -Yeah. All right, give me... give me a minute. (bottles clattering underfoot) This... is Ambush. Wakey, wakey, big fella. (whirring) All right, come on. (whirring) -What robot's he fighting? -Oh, actually, he's gonna fight a... Yeah, whoa, whoa, whoa, little lady. What are you doing? Can we get a picture with him? Sure-- for five dollars. You want five dollars? Seriously? No, I want five dollars immediately. -Come on, guys. -(scoffs) Hey. All right, all right. All right, I'm kidding. Three bucks. -Whatever. How about $2.50? You suck! It's gonna be one of those towns, huh? ANNOUNCER: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 2020 San Leandro County Fair. -MAN: Yeah! -Please take your seats. We're almost ready to get this thing started. I want five of those. CHARLIE: Oh, come on. I was told my bot was fighting an 800-pound steer. Hey, hey! That is not 800 pounds, knucklehead. Charlie "The Can Do Kid" Kenton! Time has not been good to you, my friend. Ricky, we got a problem here. -Big problem. -Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow... slow down there, hoss. Dude. Come on. Last time I saw you, you were staring up at the ceiling at the Sam Houston Center with the taste of my right cross all over your face. -Right. -Pow! -All right. Geez. Look, are we good to go here? -Listen, listen. -Yeah. We agreed that my boxer would fight an 800-pound steer for three grand. -Am I right? -Yes, sir, we did. Yes, sir. -That bull is like 2,000 pounds. -Right. Okay, well, Charlie, I'll tell you something. Your bot don't fight, you don't get paid! Whoo! How about that? Yeah. Get the hell out of here. (bull mooing) All right, all right, all right. Just-- Look... why don't we make this more interesting? My bot against your bull, straight-up. -How much? -20 grand, winner takes all. (chuckles) 20 grand? You got 20 grand, Charlie? In a safe in my truck. -All right, Charlie. -Mm. I tell you what-- 20 grand it is, but... if you lose and you welch, I'm gonna come after you, and I'm gonna beat you to within an inch of your life. And you know that I can do that 'cause I already done done it. What's the problem with you, man? In life, you get too close; in the ring, you stand back like a girl-- just shake. All right, Charlie. Shake, and it's pow! Just like that once again. You want to dance again? You want to dance? Come on, cheer for this guy! Give him some luck. He needs some luck, y'all. Yay! Let's get going! -Don't touch that bull. -MAN: Let's go! RICKY: Ladies and gentlemen, I gotta ask-- do we have any fans of robot boxing here today? -(cheering) -(Ricky chuckling) RICKY: Now, listen, friends, I understand-- okay?-- we can't all afford to go all the way over there to Dallas and pay $300 for one of those World Robot Boxing League fights. I get it. So I decided that I would bring a robot boxing match right here, to our little fair here, in San Leandro. -(cheering) -RICKY: How 'bout that? RICKY: All right. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you... Ambush! Let's do it. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. All right, big fella. Whoo-ee! Now, he's a big fella, ain't he? Take a turn. Let 'em see how beautiful you are. CHARLIE (chuckles): Yeah. (laughs) Show 'em some power. -RICKY: Well, look at that. He's getting all kung fu-y on us. -Oh, yeah! -Yeah, big fella. Ambush's opponent today... -He can't help it. -he's last year's runner-up in the "Baddest of the Bulls" competition. Ladies and gentlemen... Black Thunder! Let's get it on! Let's get this thing started. (clicking) Is that all you got? (chuckling): Yeah, brother. -Bring it on. -MAN: Come on, Ambush! (upbeat music) Take him, take him, take him, take him, take him. Whoa! Ambush lays the smackdown on that prime beef! -Whoo-oo! -(cheering) I got more for you, big fella. We're just getting started. Okay, jump-- now! -LITTLE SISTER: Yeah! -(cheering) (grunts) -RICKY: Oh, Ambush decks Black Thunder! -Yeah! But when you mess with the bull, you gonna get the horns. You like that. I can tell. You like that. Oh, geez! Turn around! Ricky! Ricky, stop this thing! Stop! CROWD (chanting): Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! CROWD: Oh! (cheers) Come on, come on. We're still in this thing. We're still in this. Just hop. Hop. That's it. Come on. Ricky, enough! Enough! I can't hear you over the sound of your robot being destroyed. (laughing): It's great. You're doing great. (chanting): Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! (grunts) All right, come on. Get up. Get up! Come on! Get up! Ah, no! Come on. No! No, no, no! RICKY: Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our warriors out here today at the 2020 San Leandro County Fair. Now, thank you all for coming out, and we'll see you next time, 'cause there will be one! Hey! Hey! G-Give me that leg. Sure, for five dollars. Boo-yah! RICKY: Yee-hoo! All right! That was ri-donc-u-lous fun, now, wasn't it, ladies and gentlemen, huh? I'm gonna come by for my money, Charlie boy. You best have it. Everybody say, "Hey!" CROWD: Hey! Everybody say, "Ho!" -CROWD: Ho! -RICKY: Whoo! How 'bout that? How you doing there, little robot? -He was so close. -When he was on the ground. Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on. My keys, damn it. (grunts) One more step, and I drop you like your girlfriend. -Charlie, relax. -I'm not paying you. That was a bogus fight. It cost me my last robot. Just listen to us. Do you recall Caroline Fallon? She's my ex-girlfriend. I haven't seen her in, like, ten years. What does she want? -Nothing. She died. Do you recall Max Kenton? Uh... he's my son. He's gotta be, like, nine or... -Eleven. -Eleven. Okay. (sighs) Is he dead, too? No. He's fine. That's why we're here. (birds chirp) (soft music) MAN (voice-over): This court is convened to address the custodial status of one Max Kenton, age 11. Mother, Caroline Fallon, deceased. Father, Charles Kenton. Debra Fallon Barnes, you're the boy's aunt. Yes. As I've already told you, my-my husband, Marvin, is wealthy, and we can more than provide for Max. Well, I appreciate that, but per Texas state law, without a written will, next of kin retains custody. Charles Kenton, who is aware of this custody hearing-- and we are expecting him-- CHARLIE: No, I need a new robot now. I had a big fight for Ambush next Saturday. I... I got to show up with something. Noisy Boy's for sale? Wow. In his day, Noisy Boy was a killer. How much? That's a good deal. What's wrong with him? I can live with that. Uh... well, I don't "have it" have it. Charles Kenton waived all of his rights to custody right after the boy was born. I can more than provide for Max. (sighs) Whoa. Please be Charles Kenton. Uh... Charlie, yeah. I-I-I'm... I'm here to sign some paper that releases my rights to the custody of my son. That's... that's why I'm here. (stammers) Do I need to be here? Charlie. Do you even remember me? -Debra, Caroline's sister. -Yeah, sure, Debra. How are you? -JUDGE: Mr. Kenton. -Yeah? -Please take a seat. DEBRA: Your Honour, may I please go and see my nephew now? Yes, you may. -How about you, Mr. Kenton? -Uh, what? You can spend some time with him, if you'd like. -With the kid? -DEBRA: Yeah, the kid. The kid. -Max. Your son? -All right, all right. You've been working with those robots for so long, you've become one. Honey, you wait right here. I'm gonna be back. You take all the time you need, sweetheart. Your Honour, I'd like to, at this juncture, step out and call my attorney, if that's all right. JUDGE: Please. There you are. He'll be in a... he'll be in a foster home. No, they-they find good families. Uh, young, energetic. Yeah. Thanks, Michael. I, uh... I will. Okay. Oh, hey. -Hey. -Um... Marvin Barnes. I'm Debra's husband. Right. Right. Yeah. You know, Debra really wants to adopt Max. -Mm. -And, um... uh... I'm up for it, but, um... 75 grand. $75,000? You're serious? Mm-hmm. See, the thing is, we're supposed to go to Italy this summer with my oldest friend and his wife. Two months in Tuscany and all over. Oh, just the four of you. Sounds nice. We'll be back in New York by the end of August. In August. (clears throat) A hundred. $100,000? You heard me. You're crazy. Not nearly as crazy as your wife you tell her I just signed over that kid to the state of Texas. The way I see it, there's a real way everyone gets what they want here. So here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna tell your wife I'll only sign over custody to her if I get to spend the summer with the kid first. Okay? Just tell her how guilty she made me feel for being such a terrible absentee dad, or how I want to make good with junior, a little fatherly bonding, whatnot. She'll buy it, you get to be the hero, and everybody wins. Okay. But not a word about the money to Debra, you understand? I understand. I'll give you 50 grand tonight, when we drop off Max, and the other 50 when we get back in August, and you deliver him to us in New York. Pleasure doing business with you. CHARLIE: Your Honour, I'm really happy we all took the time to make the best decision for everyone. -Happy? -Yes. CHARLIE (voice-over): Yeah, it's me. I'm buying Noisy Boy. Oh, I got the money. Take him to Tallet's Gym, and I'll meet you there. Hello? Bailey! Some guy is here with the robot you're buying, and I gotta tell you, Charlie, it smells like disaster to me. Nice to see you, too, Bailey. And might I also say how cute you look? Give it up, Charlie. God, I need a shower. You want to take a shower? Come on. Charlie, let me make something clear, all right? A creepy dude with a robot in a box has been sitting outside my gym for two hours. Now, putting aside the fact that you're doing what I'm guessing is a black-market deal on my doorstep... Mm-hmm... ...how are you gonna pay him, when Ambush just got destroyed? The money's on its way. Just, you know, distract him. I have been. It's exhausting. You're the best, Bail. -Yeah, really? -Mm-hmm. Is that why you're buying a $45,000 robot when you owe me six grand in rent? -'Cause I'm the best? -Three. -No, six. No, listen. -Whoa. Charlie, there is a guy with real money who wants to buy this place. Come on. Like you're really gonna sell your dad's gym. If you don't make rent, I can't make payments, and I won't have a choice. Your father would climb out of his grave and kick your ass, if you sold this place. No, my father would climb out of his grave and kick your ass. Bailey. (chuckles) -Don't. -Don't what? Don't do that. Don't... that... Hey. -Don't what? -Don't do that thing. No, you like that thing. -(laughing): No. -Yeah. No. Don't... I don't like that thing. I used to. Once. Briefly. Now I like money more. (whispering): I don't believe you. (whispering): I don't care. (clearing throat) Marvin. Your money's arrived. Marv. 50 grand, as promised. (clears throat) Now, here are all our numbers -Right. - ...and contact info over in Europe. -Right. -So that's everything there. -Uh-huh. -Okay. So Marvin tells me you want this time with Max. Yeah, yeah. You did the right thing giving me custody. I think Caroline would've wanted that. Yeah. (voice breaks): Now have him back in New York on August 27. That's a deal. Okay, well, let's-let's-let's go get Max. -Right. -Okay? -Let's get Max. -Okay. Yeah, it's okay. It's all right. You-You want me to go on the other side here and I'll-I'll get Max? Okay? Hey, Max. Well, see you, pal. DEBRA: Max, we'll see you at the end of the summer, honey. I'm Charlie. It's been a long time. Y-You know, I'm your... -You screwed me. -Nice mouth. Do you know where they're going? Italy? Yeah, Italy. So how did I get stuck here with you? Relax, kid. You got a whole life of fine living ahead of you. BAILEY: Charlie! Dude's pissed. He's gonna take off. -Oh. Yeah. Uh, okay. Did Marvin give you that money? Here, here. Just close the deal. I'll be right there. Okay? Okay? -BAILEY: Hey. -MAX: Hey. I'm Bailey. Max. Max Kenton. Wow. Okay, so this-this is your... Yeah, that's him. It's him. Don't worry about it, okay? I mean, I'm standing here looking at you two and... Would you just go and put Noisy in the shop, please? Thank you. (exhales heavily) All right. So, listen, you're gonna stay here with her while I'm on the road. How much did he give you, huh? You're coming at this the wrong way, kid. No, tell me. I want to know. 50,000, okay? He gave me $50,000 to sign you over to her. Will you shut up now? You sold me? Sounds worse than it is. -Really? -'Cause that-- It's just to take care of you. Just give me half the money and you won't have to. -Where are you gonna go? -Just give me the money. I'll be fine. -No. I told your aunt I'd get you to New York at the end of the summer. Now you're concerned for Aunt Debra? You sold me for 50 grand. You owe me half! I don't have it! I spent the money on a robot. It's gone! Okay? Gone! I'm through here. (sighs) 1 Right. What do we got? Noisy Boy has arrived. Ah, that's a lot of airline stickers and customs tags. Yeah. He's been all over the world. London, Japan, Brazil, Sao Paulo. Hasn't seen North American soil in over two years. Maybe that's why you got such a good price, genius. CHARLIE: Decided to stay, huh? Right, this is Bailey. She'll be looking after you for a few weeks. -What? -Oh, by the way, I need you to look after the kid for a few weeks. -Charlie... -Or, like, eight. I want half that money. Are we back to this again? Is there a real robot boxer in there? Noisy Boy's in there. You ever heard of him? Course. He fought Rubicon for the WRB belt in 2016. (chuckles) (lock beeps) Help me. (grunts) Holy crap, he looks amazing. (chuckles): Oh-ho, yeah. Well, his composite armour's been replaced. Let's see if the insides look as good. I've watched that fight with Rubicon, like, 20 times. He should've had him in the third round, but Rubicon got lucky with a huge right and ended it. CHARLIE: Okay. -Uh... -(remote beeps) (grunts) (clanking, whirring, beeping) Relax, kid, he's on our side. Not funny. Eh, kind of funny. You know he has voice recognition, right? -No, he doesn't. -No, he didn't in the league. But when Noisy fought in Brazil, they must have put it in. Brazilians are crazy about that talk-to-your-robot crap. Right, left, uppercut! Doesn't work. Right, left, uppercut! I knew that price was too good to be true. -We got screwed. -Give me a second. Let me see if I can fix it. -No. Look it-- God, look how good he looks, too. -Give me two seconds. -Too good. Damn it! -Let me look at something! -Why didn't you ask the guy to have a look at it? -Relax! Um... migi, hidari. Whoa. Whoa. What was that? What-- was that Japanese? Um, akka-appaa katto nikai. Let me see if I can reset him to English. Hang on. Now, how the hell do you know Japanese? Video games. CHARLIE: You play video games in Japanese? Japanese bootlegs are always better. (trilling quietly) All right, give me that. Okay, so... he's reset to English, and I found his command matrix. Uh-huh. They have pre-loaded a bunch of combinations. They should be listed here. Wait. Uh... Top Salvo! (laughs) What'd I tell you? Gravity One Downtown! (chuckles): I was due for some good luck. You're welcome. Thank you. Bailey, help me put him in the truck. I am gonna go and get your money. Give me the keys. I'm coming with you. -No, you're not. -Why not? Because I don't want you with me, okay? I'm either coming with you or you're fishing for your keys in the sewer. Your choice. -What's it gonna be, old man? -(keys jingling) -Oh! Oh, my God. That was close, wasn't it? -Oh. Whoa. -Don't do that again. -Don't, don't, don't... -That's scaring you, isn't it? Don't do this, don't do this again? -Don't! -Whoa. Whoa. Get in. Just get in, will you? Give me the keys first. No, you can wait till I get in the truck. Thanks, Big Pops. (Max laughs) Sweet ride. Put on your seat belt and don't talk. (engine rumbles to a start) EMINEM'S 'TILL I COLLAPSE' # Till I collapse I'm spilling these raps as long as you feel 'em. # Till the day that I drop you'll never say that I'm not killing 'em, # cos when I am not, then I'ma stop penning 'em. # Till the roof comes off, # till the lights go out # till my legs give out can't shut my mouth. # Till the smoke clears out ` am I high? Perhaps. # I'ma rip this shhh till my bone collapse. Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out, till my legs give out can't shut my mouth. # Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps. # I'ma rip this shh till my bone collapse. Death. No exemptions. -Keep up, keep up. Stay close. -$1,000 every round your bot survives. Hey, hey, hey! Charlie Kenton is in the house! All right, all right. Come on, man! -Hey, Finn. -(crowd quiets) Is that Noisy Boy? The one and only. -MAN: Did you hear that? -That's Noisy Boy! (cheering) Noisy's been in Japan. Softer bots over there. You sure you want to fight him tonight? -Ah, what do you got, Finn? He can take any bot in this place, you know it. -(crowd oohs, Finn laughs) -You know. Well, you can have any undercard you want. -Oh, come on, man. -5,000 guaranteed. A thousand every round your bot survives. Fight till the death! -(cheering) -Yeah! No. Give me the main event. Come on, Charlie. Finn, this is Noisy Boy, an original Tak Mashido bot. He was a World Robot League boxer. Come on! You want to fight Midas? 50,000 guaranteed, winner takes all. -CHARLIE: Hmm... -MAN: Yeah. -MAN 2: Come on, do it. 50? Really, 50? -Now you're talking. -Oh. Oh. Listen, listen... (stammers) Whoa, just hang... -Listen! -Give me a sec. We should take an undercard fight, make a little cash and get the hell outta here! All right, first, there is no "we." Second, he's gonna crush Midas and I'm gonna make some real cash. Hey! We'll take Midas! (cheering) (crowd cheering wildly) (laughs): Yeah! Ha-ha! Tonight, our main event features the gold-blooded killer! (cheering) This pimped-out punk is programmed for pain! I give to you the mighty Midas...! (crowd shouting) -All right! Yeah! -Whoo! (shouting continues) Against a bot who ran with the big boys in the WRB! -He's been on an exile tour overseas, but now he's back home, and he's ready to make some noise! Take your first look in a long time at Noisy Boy...! (cheering, clamouring) MAN: Yeah! FINN: Crash Palace, who's ready for some destruction?! (cheering wildly) Let's make some money! Come on! We have Midas against Noisy Boy. Noisy Boy against Midas. You've been waiting all night for this matchup, Crash Palace. (crowd shouting) (bell dings) Scimitar Right! Oh! Did you see that?! Easy money, easy money all night. All night long! Come on! No, no, no. It's not over yet. Here we go. Let's go! Skull Salvo! Firefight! Yeah! Go, Noisy! Undercard, huh? -Yeah, get him! -Shockfist! Get in there! Shogun Trinity! Let's finish him. Gravity Slam, Uptown! Son of a bitch, he's phasing! Get up! Full Metal Feud! Bring it! Shock Ball! Pain Revolution! Don't you run from me! You can't run from me! Come on! -Get up! -I got something! That's illegal! This is the underworld, kid. There are no rules. FINN: Now we're seeing the Midas touch! No. No, hands up! Get back in that corner, bitch, and take this whupping like a man! (whooping) He's getting killed in there! Uh... -No! Oh, gee... -It's a headset! You talk into it and you tell him what to do! Uh-- Panic Shield! That's it. Uh, One-Two Overlord! (grunting) No, no, no, no! Um, Shatter Punch! CROWD (chanting): Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Five Recall! -Get some! -Oh! Yeah! Yes! -Yeah! Fight 'em! (crowd groans) Geez! Aw, gee... Um, jab, jab! Oh, no. (groans) -Whoo! -Right Roundhouse! Roundhouse! FINN: Did he just spit his juice in Midas's face? No, you did not spit in Midas's face! Hell, no. Oh, it's party time now, Crash Palace! Use your left! FINN: Noisy's trying to do something with his one arm, but Midas pins him, and Daddy goes to work. Oh! No, no, no, no! Get up! Get up! Get some! (grunts) We just gotta get to the bell. Move! Get out of the corner! CROWD (chanting): Midas! Midas! Midas! Midas! Midas! FINN: Somebody's ready to serve up a decappuccino. I got something for you. You ready? (yells) FINN: Good night! That's a home run for Midas. And so long to Noisy Boy. (Finn guffaws) (crowd cheering) (shrieking triumphantly) CROWD (chanting): Midas! Midas! Midas! Midas! Midas! Midas! 1 (indistinct radio chatter) Well, that sucked. You hungry? I saved what's left of Noisy's voice recognition board. Other than that, he's trash. I got to get a new robot together. Just need to find a mainframe. -It's just a-- What? -I hate hamburgers. What kid hates burgers? Fine, fine. More for me. Here, drink this. You never should've taken that fight. Oh, really? Really? Thanks, genius. Do you even think about the stuff you do before you do it? You had no idea how to fight that fight. Those combination codes-- you didn't even know what half of them even meant. You just threw 'em in there cocky and half-assed. Of course you lost; you never gave him a chance. He wasn't that good. Noisy Boy was a great robot. Was. Was a great robot, back in the League, back in the day. But look around you, kid. This place, this place is where once great robots go to die. So throw him away. That's what you do, right? Anything you don't need, you just throw away. (scoffs softly) Wow. It's been a long night, all right. You want to sleep indoors tonight, shut up and get in the truck. Don't look at me like that way. Get in the truck! Well, gave me 400 for his head. Right, you stay put. I'm gonna go look for some parts. -I'm coming with you. -Huh? That drink has my heart pounding. If I sit in this truck by myself, my head will explode. All right, whatever. Just keep up. Crap! Wait a minute. Stay back, stay back. All right. All right, keep up. These searchlights are automated, but you gotta time 'em right, so stay close. (electrical buzzing) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay, come on. It's all right. All right, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. We're gonna get caught. Come on. CHARLIE: Easy, easy, easy, easy, easy. Quick, quick, quick. Down in here. Down in here. Go, go, go, go, go, go. Go! All right, the robots are on the east side. We gotta be quick in here. Up. Once we're through here, there's no more searchlights. Quick! Go, go, go! (thunder rumbling) (thunder crashing) Here it is. What are we looking for? Anything. Anything I could use to put a fighting bot together. Hey, look. What? It's so small. Oh, yeah. That's before your time. That's a Generation One, the very first fighting bot. They wanted them to look like us. The more human, the better. Crazy how quick everything changed. Here, put that in the cart. -What changed? -A good question. Boxing. Human boxing. -It just faded. -Why? 'Cause the money moved on. I mean, people wanted more carnage, more show. You had the whole Brazilian underground, the Gracies, the Machados, jujitsu, Muay Thai and a thousand styles in between. -Full-on ground-and-pound. -Look at this. -What's that? -I don't know. It's not bad. Good spot, kid. But you still had human fighters-- human bodies-- so you couldn't give the people what they really wanted: true, no-holds-barred violence. Whoa. So the next logical step: get the humans out of there and let the machines kill each other. Do you miss it? Boxing-- do you miss it? -Careful. -What? I want to know. Careful. You're on a cliff. Ho-ho! That's a long way down. If you fell, you'd definitely d... -(screams) -Max! -(Max yells) -Whoa! -Charlie! Help! -Max! (screaming) Charlie! Charlie, help me! (screaming) (panting) Charlie! Charlie! Max! Max! Max! Max! Max! -Try not to move. -I'm on... I'm on some sort of robot arm. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Just, easy, easy, easy, easy. Give me your hand. Nice and easy. Very slowly. Good. Okay. Don't look down. Look at me. Look at me. That's it! I've got you, Max! You don't have to be scared. I got you. -It's so far. -It's okay. I got you. You're gonna give me your other hand-- nice and slow. Just give me your other hand very slowly. Reach back. Come on. Reach! All right, look at me. We're gonna do this together. Okay? You and me. Just look at me. That's it. That's it. One... Two... Three! (screaming) That's it. I got you. -I got you. I got you. -(Max gasping) I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. (sighs) You're safe. You're safe. Oh... All right, I got you. I got you. You all right? -Yeah. -Okay. Come here. Hey, easy, easy. Easy. Okay. You all right? -Yeah. -You all right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I told you it was dangerous. Careful. You're still on the edge here. Mm-hmm. (sighs) (gasps) Charlie, I think there's a whole robot in there. So what? Let's go. Come on. I'm taking him with me. He saved my life. -No, you're not ta... He did not save your life. I saved your life. -Let's go. -Can you just bring the cart to the edge? I'll use the winch to get him out. You want that piece of junk? You get the cart yourself. I'm through here. (soft music) (grunting) (soft music continues) 1 (birds chirping) (wheels humming) (insects chirring) (insects chirring, birds chirping) (no voice) (truck engine humming) (brakes hiss, squeak) This is what's left of Noisy Boy? That's it. His head does make a nice addition to the front of the Crash Palace. -(Charlie chuckles) -It's not funny. Come on. Let's get a robot, you and me. -Yeah, good idea. You're broke. -Huh? -I'm almost there myself. -No, but this... Charlie, you just destroyed the best shot you had. We'll put one together. You're brilliant at this. There's some good stuff here. No, there's nothing here. There is. Look. Charlie, all your junk is... it's junk. You're not even in the game anymore, Charlie. -It's all garbage. -All right, I heard you. It's garbage. -It's junk. -Look, don't get loud with me. You're your problem, Charlie. -What's that supposed to mean? -I have been here for you a long time, Charlie. In the ring, out of the ring, and the whole ugly spiral down, and I'm tired. My father invested everything he had in your fight career, Charlie. We loved... he loved you like family. And this is his home. I'm just trying not to let it die. That's my plan. What's yours? (sighs heavily) You're done, right? You're finally done? 'Cause I sure as hell am, Charlie. -(sniffs) -I got nothing left. All right. Maybe there's something here-- this... this robot the kid brought in last night. Would you just look at it for me? Please? Bailey. I've never seen anything like it before. He's Generation Two, but barely. Found a power cell that fits him, and I hooked him up to this old G-Two remote that I had, so... you can at least move him around, Charlie, but he's crap. Right, so maybe I can get a sparring gig for him, make a few hundred bucks or something. -Charlie, stop. -I'm just trying to... -Stop! -MAX: It's my robot! Okay? It took me half the night dragging him out of there. -He's mine. Oh, he's yours? Yeah, but the parts we're putting in him are mine! BAILEY: You two idiots should at least see if he powers up before you start fighting over him. What happened to you? Hey. (whirring, clicking, rattling) Whoa, whoa. Whoa. Watch out. Stay back. Whoa. Whoa. (whirring) Looks like he's got a shadow function. That's... that's pretty rare. He can mime your movements and store them in memory, Max. CHARLIE: You think there's anything here we could use? BAILEY: Not much. There's a bucket I... Hey. Hey. (snaps fingers) There's a bucket I use to wash the truck sometimes. Why don't you use it and clean him up? He smells like crap. Wash yourself off, too, while you're at it. You stink. Okay, so I switched him to remote. It's pretty basic. Just use the toggles here to steer him and walk him. So you play video games, right? -Course. -Okay, same idea, only this one's a thousand-pound robot. (chuckles) Cool. (chuckles) (sighs) (soft music) (soft music continues) (music continues) "Atom." (shoes squishing) (thud) His name is Atom. Can we get him a fight? I don't think he was ever a boxing robot. BAILEY: He's a G-Two, built in early 2014. He was a sparring bot. They must have built robots like this one that could mirror the fighting style of any other robot. Okay, so... can we get him a fight? Are you not listening? He's a sparring bot, right? Built to take a lot of hits, but never dishing out any real punishment. You could always try to sell him off for parts. -Can't you get him a fight? -(Charlie groans) "Why can't you get him a fight? Get him a fight." God, you don't quit, do you? You want me to put him in some bottom-rung scrap-fest to the death? Come on, I saw how scared you were at Crash Palace-- yeah. The places that would let you fight this robot would make you pee your little pants. Excellent. Get him a fight. (scoffs) (control pad trills) (Atom whirrs, clunks) Stubborn kid. Surprise, surprise. (soft music) (soft music continues) (music continues) (whirring, clicking) Let's take a walk. (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (Max laughs) (soft music) (soft music continues) (music continues) (music continues) (music continues) Can you understand me? (quiet whirr) Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. (gasps) (clank) You've known Charlie a long time. Too long. We both kind of grew up in this gym. My dad, he trained him. That's them. That's Charlie. What was he like? As a boxer? As anything. He was something. He was lean, tough. No quit, no fear. You know what? Come here. I want to show you something. Have this, uh... this newspaper article from Phoenix, 2007, when Charlie fought Nico Tandy, the top contender. You were at the Nico Tandy fight? I was. Charlie was just supposed to be a warm-up fight, an easy win. Nico wasn't even supposed to break a sweat, but nobody told Charlie that, so... he just kept coming and coming at him. Check this out. That's Charlie. (chuckles) First, Nico couldn't believe the balls on this nobody. But Charlie kept coming, and that's when Nico looked scared. -Really? -Really. I mean, he was toying with Nico. The top contender, number two in the world, and Charlie was dancing with him. Pop, pop, bam, pop! Charlie was floating inches off the canvas that night. He was like a ghost. Nico couldn't even see him. I could. He was beautiful. He was beautiful. So what happened? Did Charlie beat Nico Tandy? No, Nico Tandy put me on my ass in the 12th round. Twice-- second time for good. Lights out. You were ahead on all the scorecards going into the 12th round. -Nico Tandy rung my bell and went on to be the undefeated world champ for the next three years. -So he knocked you out? -Oh, yeah. So did a lot of guys. Yeah, and you knocked a lot of guys out, too, Charlie. 24 and 19-- it's not exactly a career. 24 and 19, but every fight a knockout. -Win or lose, fight's not over -BOTH: till someone's on the mat. Your old man taught me that. Damn straight he taught you that. MAX: Who else did you fight? -Go get your stuff together. -I don't need to. -Did you ever fight for the title? -Yeah, you do. We leave in an hour. Go. Wow. Here. (sighs) Keep it. Thanks. You're welcome. "Charlie Kenton against Tandy's..." I like that kid. He likes you. Charlie, what I said yesterday was... No, nothing more to say, Bails. I'm heading off to Atlanta tonight, see if I can get a partner or raise some money to get a new bot. That's... That's what you wanted, right? Me gone? Yeah, that's what I wanted. (clears throat) Okay. 1 (quiet blips and trills) (phone ringing) Hey. Hey. Look. The champ is here. Zeus is here. Yeah. ANNOUNCER (voice-over): Zeus! No one has ever gone two rounds with this monster. Two rounds! The champ puts his Real Steel world championship belt on the line tonight and just may have a real fight on his hands. Zeus, greatest robot boxer of all time ever. End of story. Good night. So cool. It's so cool. What? Come on. All right. Now, listen up. I got to go find Finn. I want you to stay in this area, okay? Okay. Out of the way, out of the way. Champ coming through. Zeus coming through. Move, move! Champ coming through. -Guys, come on. Hurry up. -(reporters clamouring) -Miss Lemkova! Miss Lemkova! -Tak! Mr. Mashida! Mr. Mashida, I have questions, please. -Move, move, move! -Yeah, I got it, I got it. (clamour continues) Farra Lemkova. Farra Lemkova. Farra Lemkova, daughter behind the father/daughter Zeus team, they say your father's the money and you are the mind behind Zeus. You're very kind, but I assure you, the mind behind Zeus belongs to the great Tak Mashido. (reporters clamouring) And-And-And what did it take to lure the reclusive genius, former boy wonder, and arguably the most important bot designer in the history of the sport, out of retirement? Why don't you ask him yourself? -Is he here? -He's here? -(reporters clamouring) -Tak Mashido! -Tak Mashido! -Tak Mashido! Is this Tak Mashido's greatest creation? Zeus is autonomous and constantly evolving during a fight. With his adaptive operating system, he recognizes patterns and rewrites his fight code instantaneously. -So, sir... -(reporters clamouring) For my, for myself and Joe Sixpack out there, are you saying that Zeus... I'm saying that... no matter what happens in that ring, the result of any fight is inevitable. What Zeus sees... he kills. (reporters clamouring) Sweet. Okay, no more questions! No more questions. Let him out. Robot... (clamouring) (deep electronic humming) MAN: Wait. One-One more, Farra. I'm never going into business with you, Charlie. I'm not. I just need a break here, Finn. Come on. You got that old bot truck out there. You always got something in there. I got an old G-Two sparring bot ain't worth the paint left on it. What am I supposed to do with that? -Hmm? -The Zoo. Take him to the Zoo. Look, they fight there tomorrow. Even I wouldn't be caught dead at the Zoo. I'm-- Finn, man, I just need a little loan. Some... What? You're serious, Charlie? A loan. Something. Couple hundred, few hundred. Whatever you got. Huh? You know I'm good for it, all right? Look, I know you, man. And as much as I like you, dude... you're a bad bet, brother. Right, yeah. (male announcer speaking indistinctly over P.A.) MAN: Get those gates open. (low, indistinct chatter) (bell rings, door clanks) Hey, heads up back there. -Get back. -All right, all right. MAX: Whoa. (laughs) Max! Max! Max! Did you see that? -That's what's left of Axlerod! -Yeah. Right. Where the hell you been? I told you to stay put. You should have seen him. Zeus was, like, amazing! Amazing, huh? Unbelievable, yeah. He was just peppering Axelrod with punches, but so fast, it was incredible. Axelrod didn't even land a punch. He didn't even survive the first round. Is that what you think boxing is? Zeus beating up some piece of steel that they feed him? Axelrod's not just some piece of steel. And, yeah, that is what boxing is now. Deal with it. And I love it and I'm in it now. (chuckles) Oh, you're in it now, are you? Oh, you and your G-Two sparring bot? He's more than that. And if you'd just get us a fight, you'd see. All-All right. You're in luck, kid. There's a lovely place called the Zoo. Tomorrow afternoon, you'll get your fight. Great. And it will be the end. I told you I hate hamburgers! It's a burrito. MAN: Make sure we level it off, all right? MAN 2: All right. Do it just before we take it up there. MAX: Right uppercut. Left uppercut. Bend your knees. Rise up with both hands. Again. Bend your knees. Rise up with both hands. You been up all night? Huh? Yeah. I cleaned him up. I'm using shadow mode to program some fight moves and sync them to the remote. Right, yeah. I saw that, uh, that double-up punch you were showing him. That's... that's lethal stuff. Let's do this. Geez. Let's do breakfast first. (mid-tempo music) MAN: ...says, "Is that all you got?" I said, "There's 10 seconds more where that came from." You know you're bringing him home in pieces, right? We'll see. KINGPIN: What's this? Snake in my boots. There's a snake in my boot. Oh, hey, let me deal with this. Charlie Kenton. This is Max. -Kingpin. Call me Kingpin. All right, Kingpin. So, uh... How much a round? What is this? We on a field trip? All right. He can fight my robot Metro. I'll give you a hundred bucks for one two-minute round. -Take it. -Three hundred. One hundred. Baby, boy, I'm gonna give you $100 just to get in there with Metro. (sniffles) How 'bout 500 for two rounds? (laughs): Two rounds. Two rounds? Son, he ain't gonna survive one round. What if he does? He ain't. Let's just say he does. If he's still standing after one round, I'll give you a thousand bucks. -What? -Come on. -Shut it! But if he dies in there-- which he will, junior... ...I get to keep what's left. Take the hundred. Deal. We're on. We on! (men chuckling) Let's go. CHARLIE: You should have taken the hundred. -I got us a thousand. -Yeah, if he wins. (upbeat music) MAN: Ah, yeah, boy! -We got us some fresh meat! -(crowd clamouring) Ah, yeah! I know you! You ain't got nothing! You're in the Zoo, baby! Let's go, baby! -Come on! -(maniacal laughter) He'll get you, boy! (clamouring continues) All right, you want me to drive? He's my bot. I got this! Come on, this ain't a video game, kid-- this is for real. Right here. You said he's coming home in pieces. What difference does it make? All right. I got this. KINGPIN: Let's get it on! Let's get it on! Let's get it on like Ping-Pong in Hong Kong! Give me a bell! Give me a bell! Yeah...! (bell dinging) Don't watch Atom, watch your opponent. Watch him. Watch out for that foot. He's looking to pin you. I told you to watch for that foot plant. Come on. All right. Oh, here comes the sledgehammer! Whoo! Did you see that?! -Whoo! -Come on, Atom! Get him! Don't yell at him, control him. Slip right. Back step. Duck. You're welcome. Shut up! You're not helping! Actually, I think I am. No, no, no, no, no. Backhand. Come on, you got speed on this guy. Just keep moving. Bob. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Out, out, out. -Yahoo! -Boom! Slip out of that corner! Keep moving. Bob and weave! That's it. That's it. That's it. Now you're listening to me. -Bust 'em up, yo! Bust 'em up! -Whoo. Yeah, he can take a hit. I'll give you this, kid. Your bot can take a hit. Mm-mm, mm-mm. You better slip that headlock, man. -This ain't gonna end well for you. -I'm trying! (laughing) Whoo-hoo! 30 seconds! Oh, 30 sec-- Half a minute. Half a minute! That's it-- Keep moving! Just move! Come on, you've got 20 seconds. That's a thousand bucks. 20 seconds. Let me-- Let me take over. Let me take over! -No, no! Come on. Just move, then. Move! -Come on! -You're down. (groans): Oh. Get up, Atom. Get up, Atom. Count with me! Count with me! -One! -Get up, Atom! -CROWD: Two! He can't hear you. You know you're talking to a machine, right? Four! Five! Six! -Get up, Atom! -Seven! -All the way up! -Eight! Nine! All the way up! No! Yeah! Yes! Yes! -(bell dinging) -It ain't right! Shit! -I'm gonna fix it! -(clamouring) I'm gonna fix it! I'm gonna fix it! I'm gonna fix it! -I'm gonna fix it! -No! I'm gonna fix it! No, come on, now. -This thousand bucks... -Yeah, thousand. ...double or nothing he can't make another round. -Yeah, thanks, anyway. -Deal. Double or nothing. -Oh! Baby boy said it! -Whoa! -We're back on! -No, no, no, no, no! -We are on! -You crazy?! You just threw away a thousand bucks! He can barely stand up in there, kid. Okay-- Look. I really need the money. Okay? I know. Let's work. CROWD (chanting): We on! We on! -Come on, win it! -Let's go! Come on, take him down, Metro! Watch that. Watch that. I got that. (deep grunt) -CROWD: Oh! -Whoa! (resounding clang) Wha...? -Whoa! -Yeah! Whoa! (creaking, groaning) I got it! I got it! That's a system failure! -I don't got it. -He's going down! Oh! Yes! No...! Start-- Hey! Hey! Start the count! He-- Start the count! One! CROWD: Two! Three! Yes! You did it! We did it! -(crowd booing) -Yeah! -Yeah! -Wow! Yeah! -Yeah! Yeah! -(chuckles) Okay. -Time to go. Come on. -(clamouring) Grab your robot. I know, I know! I know! I know! Kingpin, pay up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I know, I know. We owned! All right, let's go. -Come on, come on, come on. -(laughs) -Hey, hey. -Yeah? Have I got a fight for you. Saturday night. Guaranteed four grand. Seven if he wins. Whoa. Four grand? You're on. Let's go! Get out of here! Get out of here! CHARLIE (voice-over): Hey, Bailey, it's me. Hey. He won. (chuckles) Can you believe that? The kid's robot actually won. I know. (chuckles) Oh, yeah. Oh. Happy? Oh, my God. Yeah. Oh, he's-he's been bit. He's been bit real bad. Yeah. Anyway, I... (sighs) ...just wanted you to know. (soft music) 1 (soft music) (music continues) Jab, jab, hook. Jab, jab, hook. Jab, jab, hook. Jab, jab, hook. I think you have to move your feet. (slowly, distinctly): Your feet. Feet. (hip-hop music playing faintly over computer) (music playing louder) (hip-hop music continues) (music continues) (laughing) Nice moves, kid. (music stops) How long you been out here? Here, check it out. -What? -I just spent the night doing something I think is amazing, incredibly amazing. If it works, you know? No. -You know his remote was spotty? -Yeah. Well, I killed it. Got rid of it. Done. We don't need it anymore. How did you...? I h-had to start over. But I was able to use the spin frame from Ambush -Uh-huh. -and take the circuitry sleeve out of Noisy Boy, and it works. I mean, he knows nothing, but it works. It really, really works. What works? Okay. I'll turn it on. Left jab, right uppercut! Japan! You put Noisy's voice recognition into Atom? -Yeah. -Pretty smart, kid. Smart? Smart? It could be genius! It could be the most incredible thing in the history of the entire world ever! All right, easy there, chief. Easy. Whoa, whoa. Did you drink all these sodas? Yeah, I might've had a few. Charlie, I need you to teach him to box. Are you kidding me? He's nowhere near advanced enough to handle Noisy's voice command. Yeah, so he needs your moves, your commands. -Start over from the ground up. -Forget it, kid. Forget it. -You were a boxer, Charlie. -Yep. Yesterday at the Zoo, you could see things happen before they even happened. I haven't boxed in a long time, I'm not starting now. Who's gonna teach him to fight? You're doing fine, Max. You don't need me. Sorry. That was, that was really cool, though, that dance. You should, you should do that on Saturday night. Don't make fun of me. I'm serious. Before the fight, when you guys take the ring, you should do it. No. There's no way I'm dancing with a robot in front of a boxing crowd. Box-- Are you kidding me? This is just a show, Max. People want to see something they've never seen. Look, you think all the greats, think Ali, Sugar Ray, Prince Rakim, Gammer, they all had, they all had their nicknames. They had their personas... right? They all had flair. Now you? You-You might not have much robot, but with that dance, you got flair. Plus, you're a kid. People love that kid thing. I mean, what are you, like, nine? 10? -I'm 11. -Okay. Are you sure you're 11? Yes. I'm sure I'm eleven. Okay. Anyway, the point is, people want to see that. You're really not messing with me? I am not messing with you. They're gonna love it. Okay. Cool. -But... -What? I won't do it unless you help me. (laughs) I can't dance. You're on your own there. No. Boxing. -Oh, I see. I see. -I program the robot, you teach him to box. And you dance. And you dance. Yeah. -Yeah? -Deal. (chuckles) Deal. (mutters) It's gonna be cool. (soft music) (soft music continues) (panting) (grunting): Okay. (sighs) Okay. Nice. You're gonna be punching guys bigger. You're gonna have to punch up. (pants) That's it. (panting) Nice. (pants, groans) (groans) Whoa. You, too, old man? (chuckles) Okay, come on. Let's get to work. (pants, grunts) Nice! Let's do that again. Nice. Three-punch combo. (panting) Combo. Again. Again! Faster. Faster! Nice. You're not even out of breath. (chuckling): I like it. Okay, let's see how you move. (panting) (chuckling) That's good. That's good. BAD MEETS EVILS' 'FAST LANE' # First verse, uh. # You've been warned if you've been born or if you conform. # Slap up a... and then snatch him out of his uniform. # Leave him with his socks, hard bottoms and bloomers on. # You still fly kites daily. # Catch me in my Mercedes bumpin' 'Ice, Ice Baby,' screamin' 'Shady till I die', # Like I have a pair of dice. Life's crazy, so I live it to the fullest till I'm Swayze. # And you only live it once. Step around! Left hook! Left hook! Right hook! Take it to the body four times! Right uppercut! -Yeah! -Yeah! (laughing) Every time. Keep... MAN: Bust him up, yo! Bust him up! # Life in the fast lane. (cheering) Great fight, fellas. # Gon' roll till I drop and ride till I die. # Livin' life in the fast lane. DEEJAY: 105.5, WRUT, the satellite home of robot boxing. -Caller two, what you got for me? MAN: Hey, Tommy, have you heard about this little bot out there, his name is Atom? -Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I gotta tell you, my buddies and I saw him the other night, and he dances. -Did you say dances? Dances? -Yeah. You heard me-- he dances pre-fight with this little kid, and the crowd went nuts for these two. -I know! That's it... that's... - I'll tell you what's something. You put the gimmick aside for a second, and I'm holding here... I'm holding a list of the bots he's beaten: Chaos. -Wall Street. One-Eyed Jack. -Yep. Uh-huh. That's right. No slouches on that list, right? But, folks, Atom's fought 'em all, beat 'em all. CALLER: I'm telling you, Tommy, this bot is fast. He escapes shots from these bigger bots, it's insane. -TOMMY: No doubt, no doubt. I'm telling you, listeners, you remember this name: Atom. -That's right-- A-T-O-M. -Atom! This bot is one to watch. # Pedal to the metal. CHARLIE: Thank you, man. Thank you. -You guys put on a good show in there. -Ah, thanks. Good enough we'd like to invite you to fight on our card, Virgin America Spectrum Detroit, Friday night. Right. Whoa, whoa. That's a WRB... that's a League fight. -Damn right it is. -Huh. What do you say, fellas? You ready for the show? Heck, yeah. (chuckles) 1 (indistinct chatter, whistling) CHARLIE: It's the undercard, but it's still a League fight, so... I just want you to be relaxed. I want you to be relaxed, okay, Max? No freaking out. Don't get all freaky-deaky on me. You go freaky-deaky, this whole thing can go south. Whatever you do, have fun. Have fun. You gotta have fun, you understand me? We've come too far to get out there and freak out and blow this whole thing. We're gonna have fun, and we're gonna... we're gonna not freak out! We're gonna stay loose, and we're gonna... we're just gonna bam him, man. I tell you, man, I've spent my whole life waiting to get here. We're gonna bet. We'll just... Because I tell you what, trust me when I say no freaking out. You got it? Yeah. I got it. Good. It's... You have been invited to Lemkova Suite. Follow me, please. Sorry. What? What was that? One more time. Lemkova Suite. Zeus Suite. -Sure. Yeah. -Come. -Let's head up to the champ's suite. Sure. -Thank you. (soft music) (soft music continues) (electronic music) CHARLIE (sighs): Wow. Gentlemen, I'm Farra Lemkova. (chuckling): Right. Yeah. I'm, uh, Charlie Kenton, and, uh... And this, of course, is Tak Mashido. Holy shit. It's Tak Mashido. (Charlie chuckles) I know you have a very important fight tonight, so I'll get right to it. Ah, it's a little far from the action for my liking. Nice. It's nice. I like it, though. Very nicely, uh... nicely... Wow. Wow, that is... that's a great shot. Look at that. You want an autograph? -Sweet. -Hey, would you mind auto... I'd like to buy your robot. He'd be useful sparring bot for Zeus, and for that, I'm willing to pay. $200,000. -Thou... Done. -He's not for sale. What? No, of course he is. No, we can definitely... He... he's not for sale. You are 15 minutes away from getting in the ring with Twin Cities, a vicious League bot. So, to be clear, my offer stands until the starting bell. -Right. -Okay. And just to be clear, he's not for sale. Not now, not ever. Okay, uh, listen, we... Whoa. Give me a minute to clear this up, okay? Max... CHARLIE: Hey, Tak. How are you? Max. Max! Max... Max, be smart. I know you love him, but in 20 minutes, there may be nothing left to love. Think about it. Take the offer. You think about it. Why does she want Atom? Huh? Because he's different from other bots. Yeah, he's different. He's smaller and weaker, and he's gonna get his ass kicked. He's a boxer. We taught him to box. You taught him to box. That's worth something. I think it is, too. I think it's worth 200 grand. 200 grand. Charlie, we can go round and round this all night long. Look at me. Look at me. But it's not gonna happen. I got a fight to get to. (soft music) (music builds) (cheering and applause) Ladies and gentlemen, tonight... ...the march towards the Real Steel Championship makes its way through Detroit's Virgin America Spectrum! (cheering) (upbeat music) Kicking off the evening, in our first undercard, the two-headed tyrant, Twin Cities! MAN (over radio): Transitioners, give me a right fist. Right head rotation torque looking good. (cheering, shouting) (cheering) Opposing Twin Cities, in his first professional fight, hailing from parts unknown, Atom! (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) -MAN: This is yours, Max! -MAN 2: Take him to the floor! -You can do it, kid! -Nice work, boss. -Thanks. -Hey, did you switch him to fight mode? -Of course. -All right. Now, this bot is tough to put down. -Atom can do it. -Max. Look over there. You see those geeks with the joysticks and consoles? They're controlling everything their bot does. They're monitoring his systems, seeing what he sees, stadium feeds of the fights, everything. I mean, this is not like the underground handheld remote bots we've been fighting. This is the League. Stand on that. Okay, so what do we do? We fight smart, we be patient. And pray. Seriously, pray. Ready! -Ready! -Hands up. Fighters ready! Fight! (electronic whirring, powering up) Engage. CHARLIE: Slip! Right! Lean back. Right, left! Cover up. -Pre-program mode's on five. -Power check on torso. I'm with you on that, buddy. Duck! Left roundhouse! -CHARLIE: Damn it. CHARLIE: Lean left. Lean right! Cover up! Cover up! What's going on in there, Charlie? Ah. Too many hits. He's taking too many hits. (rapid blipping) WOMAN: Come on! Get your hands up! MAN: Come on! Punch it out! -WOMAN: Whoo! Look at that! Get out of that corner! Move! Come on, Charlie! He's getting killed in there! -Tell him what to do! -That guy's got two heads and about a foot of reach on us and no blind spot. He's gotta have a weakness. Find it! Wait, wait, wait. Right shoulder, right shoulder! Right shoulder! He's got a tell! He's got a hitch in his shoulder every time he throws that right bomb! -So? -So we got him. See? Here it comes again. Duck! Spin! Slide left! Roundhouse! One, two! Back step. Back step. Back step. Lean right. Come on, Charlie! Get in there! Gotta get in close where he can't use that size and reach on us! Left to the body! Right to the body! Left to the body! Yeah, it's working! Stay downstairs! Left, right, left! These program modes aren't working. Left! Right hook, slip! Right uppercut! Left uppercut! Duck left. Counter right. Move! -Get him, Atom! -Here comes the Charlie Special. Three-punch combo to the body! Out! In! Counter! -Two, one, two! -Two, one, two. Stay on him! Lunging right! -No! -Don't let him go. Right to the body! Straight right to the head! ...to the left head. Come on! We got the pre-program mode on five. -Cross-check the... -We got a systems crash! Get him, Atom! (spectators cheering) Damn it! This isn't happening! This is not happening, man! -Put him away, Charlie! -Spin left! Spin right! Finish him! -Do it! -Right uppercut! (cheering) Yeah! -(yelling) -No! No! (cheering) He's down. One! Two! -Three! Four! -...to the left tank. Come on. -Five! -We got the pre-program mode on five. -Six! Seven! Eight! -We got him. Stay down! Nine! Ten! He's out! He's out! -(cheering) -Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! (laughing): Corner! Corner! Corner! -Victory! -Yeah! -ANNOUNCER: In a time of one minute, -Whoo! -47 seconds of the first round, -Yeah! -Atom has defeat... -(Max grunts) -I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. -Whoa. (cheering) Our little bot from the junkyard got a shot at a League fight. How about that! -Max. Geez. -MAX: And the last thing, I want to say to a special girl who won't be named-- Farra Lemkova... (booing) -Oh, oh, okay, hang on. -That instead of buying my robot and using your money to control this sport... -Okay, that's it. -It's good. It's good. -No, wait. I'm not done. Why not give the littlest guy the biggest shot, huh? Seriously, because I bet, if you give him a shot, he'll surprise you! Wouldn't you like to see a little guy get a shot at the Real Steel Championship? (cheering) I challenge Zeus to a fight. (crowd booing) Any time, any place, anywhere! You name it! We will be there! Yeah, okay. Go, go, go. Come here. Come on. I'm gonna get us that fight! Yeah! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Yeah! MAN: That was a ballsy move, you challenging Zeus like that. Yeah. That's one thing to call it. I think a lot of people'd like to see that fight. Yeah, you're damn right they would. All right, you listening to this kid? Geez. Good fight, fellas. Thanks, man. Look at this. Let's celebrate. -Yeah. All right, 70-30, right? Yeah, 70 for me and 30 for you. That's so right, huh? Yeah, that's very funny. Very, very funny. So, uh, I told you we shouldn't have sold him. -Oh, okay. No. No, no, no, no. -I told you. I told... I remember now. Who's right? Say who's right. Say "Max is right." -"Max is right." Max. -All right, all right. All right. We're a good team. -No, no, no, no, no, no, no. -No, we're a good team. -"Max is right. Max is..." -Fair enough. Get out of here. CHARLIE: That is unbelievable. Thank you, Twin Cities. (chuckles) Whoo! -All right, we set? -Yeah. -All right, let's do it. -Yeah! RICKY: Charlie boy. Ah, Ricky. Hey, man. -Hey, Kent. -I was just gonna call you, man. -Oh, yeah. -I really... I actually really was gonna call you. (laughs) Don't worry about that. That was a heck of a fight. Congratulations to both of you. That was really good. It was an amazing fight. That was a great job, young man. Oh, come on, man. -What? -You serious? (laughs) What, you thought I was, uh... you thought I was joking when I said I'd beat you within an inch of your life? He thought that was a joke. How about that? It wasn't a joke. Hey. I got a kid here. All right? And I have your money. We don't have a problem, Ricky. Oh, I'm sure you do, Charlie, but, uh... but I think we know it's about much more than just money now, don't we? All right, all right, man. What do you want? You want twe... Okay. You want 25, 30? You want 30 grand? -I got the money in cash right here. -Yeah, right. -Let's go! Max, go! -Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey! -Go, go, go, go! Run! -Get him, now! Come on, come on. Run! Come on. Keep up! Keep up! Keep up! -Get him now! -Run! Come on! -Charlie! Get off him! Get off him! (grunting and groaning) -(grunts) -Come here! (grunting and groaning) -Hey, Ricky! -No, that's his money. -Leave him out of this! -(groans) -(grunting) -Hey! (growls) (grunting) -Stop! -(man laughing) (truck horn blasting) -Stop! -RICKY: Whoo! Oh, take all his money. Take it all. Whoo! (panting) Uh, your friend's a real dirtbag, kid. He's my father! Well. Looks like a little less than an inch of your life. Well, buddy... that'll teach him. (groaning) Whoo! Just like old times, Charlie boy. Let's go, boys. (giggles) That was a good old-fashioned whupping. -Charlie. -(coughing) (laboured breathing) Max? I'm sorry, Max. I'm sorry. Sor... sorry. (soft music) (soft music continues) (music fades) What are we doing here? -Max, just-- I... -Is it Farra? She called you, didn't she? We're gonna get the Zeus fight, right? Listen, it's not the Zeus people. I've been thinking about all this, you know, and... uh, I... DEBRA: Max! Max? Max. Oh. Oh, it's so good to see you. What is she doing here? It's better if you go with her now. We get beat up, so you call her to come and get me? He's been beat up. I told you he couldn't take care of him! -Yeah. -Look at his face. I called her. Look at us. We're a mess. We're fine. She can leave! Atom's fighting good. We can make the money back. Charlie, please. Look, just... Charlie, we're doing so good. Charlie, please, no. Don't. Don't. Don't. Please. Please. Trust me, kid. It's better this way, all right? I know you think you know what's right, but you don't. You're too young. You don't know. Look at me. Trust me. And legally she has custody, so what, w-what can I do? You tell me, what can I do? Max! I don't want your money, Marvin. Max, we have our own swimming pool, and, uh, we have a hot tub and a lot of super-fun toys to play with. Do you want to play with them? It's gonna be fun. What's going on? Well, he won't even talk to me, so, thanks for that, Charlie. -I'm gonna wait in the car. (sighs) All right, you don't want to talk, fine. I'll talk. I mean, what do you want me to say, "I'm sorry"? No, you knew-- you knew from day one what this was. You decided to take the ride. I mean, what?-- Max, you thought me, you and a little robot from the junk heap were gonna ride off into the sunset? Come on. No, you-you forgot who I was! You deserve better... than me. Will you say something, please? I tried, okay? I mean, what do you want from me?! I want you to fight for me. That's all I ever wanted. Hey, Max. (sighs) (soft music) (music builds) (sentimental music) (sentimental music continues) (birds chirp) (horns toot) Oh, don't ask. So, no Max. It's better this way. Marv and Debra have money. Max is set. Did you not see the way he looked at you? Charlie, that's the way I looked at my dad. Oh, come on, Bails. Even now, I would give anything to have that back. Your dad, your dad was special. He was, like-- he was in your corner from day one. Me, come on. I blew it. I blew it. I mean, when Max was born, I just... freaked out. I just... But something would've been better than nothing. I just wouldn't know where to start. -Yeah, you do. -I don't. -You do. -I-- No. You do. (inhales deeply) (soft piano music) I gotta go. 1,200 miles for a kiss. Worth it. Worth it. Go get him, Charlie. You sound like your dad. (chuckles) (soft music) (knocks) Hey. (clears throat) Okay. Uh, look-- I know you think I abandoned you, and, w-well, I guess I did, originally. Then you sold me. DEBRA: Charlie. Hey. You have no business being here. That's true. Uh, you've got full custody. He's yours. And-And I know I've done all kinds of wrong by this kid, but, if you'll let me... ...I'd just like to do one thing right. Right. Now, where were we? You sold me. Right, yeah, that happened. Well-- Wait, what? Then we had our asses kicked. And you slept on a shelf in a truck, and it was awful. -And dangerous. -Really dangerous. I mean, I know. God. I'm sorry. That's why you came? To say you're sorry? N-No. I mean, yes. Yes. But no. No, I came to tell you that I heard you. I got it. I'm a little slow, but I got it. And I know you had a bum ride, Max, and I wasn't there and I should've been. I should've been. Your mom was... She was cool, wasn't she? She was. She was the coolest. Yeah... she was. And I'm sorry about... you know, about what happened with her. (sighs) And... and I can't get those years back, Max, but... but I'm here right now. And if you're up for it, I'm ready to fight. (sentimental music) We got the Zeus fight. What? No. No, we didn't. You got the Zeus fight. So what do you say, Debra? Can we do this one last thing? One night. One night. It's all we need. Thank you. Thank you. (chuckles) You know, we'll probably get our asses kicked, but at least we'll go down swinging. Yeah? What do you say? HERB (over P.A.): Welcome, everyone, to New York's Bing Arena and the Real Steel Championship Bout. Well, Tim, it's the fight we never thought we'd see. Zeus, the undefeated WRB champion against the underdog, rising star Atom. The champ's handlers have agreed to fight outside the circle of well-known League bots, and have decided to give the people a true David versus Goliath spectacle. Now, Tim, help me out on this. Has the Zeus camp lost their mind? The greatest robot boxer of all time gives a shot at the belt to a G-Two named Atom? Well, Herb, if you ask Tak Mashido, Team Zeus has lost their minds. Now, he may look cool as he enters the arena, but he has made no bones about his disdain for this matchup. Our cameras tried to catch up with him earlier this week. Take a look at this clip. Mashido wouldn't even stop to talk to the press, referring only to this fight as an insult to his creation. Now in truth, Herb, Max Kenton, Atom's trainer, did more than just challenge Zeus. He did so publicly. The challenge went viral and created a PR nightmare for the champ. Yeah, no argument there, Tim. And I think the Zeus camp knows exactly what they're doing. That they do. I mean, come on, giving a shot at the belt to a nobody from nowhere-- this junkyard dog, if you will-- that's a marketing stunt. And, hey, judging from this crowd, that stunt is working. -(reporters clamouring) -Max! Over here! -The man! -Hey, Kenton, any comments? -Do you think you can win, Max? -Max! Max! -Are you all ready for this? -Max, you look great. -One here, one here. -Can we get an exclusive? -Can you get a clear shot? -You're so cool, man! -Yeah, yeah. -Guys! We can't win, can we? We'll see. -(clamour continues) -What are you thinking? -How many rounds? -Come on, man! TIM (voice-over): And as the challenger makes his way into the arena, you can hear the surge of excitement, Herb. -You got this, Max! -(crowd cheering) HERB: Atom has arrived onto the WRB scene with a vengeance, using a style-- some would call it human-like-- that bot fighting has rarely seen. Atom and his pint-size trainer step into the ring, and the look on Farra Lemkova's face says it all. Welcome to the bigs, junior! I'm giving one-to-five odds that Atom don't make it out the first round. Now who wants some? -(clamouring) -You got some? I'll take some of that action. -Hey, there! -(crowd quiets) I'll take some of that action. How's it going, uh, partner? (laughs) "Partner"? (laughs) That's great. How about a hundred K deep. Is that funny? Hundred K says Atom doesn't see round two. You carrying around that kind of scratch? Yeah. Hundred K? Tell you what-- remember section 101, row C, and you can bring me my money right to my seat. 101, row C? Hundred K? You heard me, homey. -"Homey"? -(chuckles) Right? Homeboy! (chuckles) All right. Peace out, posse. Come on, sugar, let's go. -(gamblers clamouring) -I'm liking Zeus, first-- (crowd cheering wildly) (fanfare plays over arena speakers) ANNOUNCER: Never beaten. It's showtime! ANNOUNCER: Never threatened. The King of the Ring, the Ruler of Robots-- bow down to the mighty Zeus...! (cheering) Oh, shit! Okay, that was awesome. Come on. Let's go. Ladies and gentlemen, in a bout scheduled for five rounds for the World Robot Boxing Championship, in the corner to my right, the challenger, Atom! Showboat! (cheering) ANNOUNCER: And in the corner to my left, the undeniable champion of this universe, and any other universe, known or unknown, the mighty Zeus! (crowd cheering) And now, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for Real Steel?! (crowd cheering) -This is what it's all about! -(bell dings) There's the starting bell and we are underway. The bots emerge from their corners. Oh! Zeus decks Atom, and he is already down. On your feet! HERB: Looks like we are in for another Zeus clinic. Referee Matt Geiger coming in the ring to start the count. -Yeah! -Get up! -GEIGER: ...two... three... -You're going down! Push up! -...four... -CHARLIE: Stand up! -...five... -TIM: But look at this. The little bot's back on his feet to get a second blistering attack from Zeus! HERB: And Atom is down for the second time in less than 10 seconds. He's too strong! He's too strong! That's my boy right there! -BAILEY: Get up! -One... -Get up and get in the game! -...two... Come on! No, please, Atom, get up! Please! -Get up! Get up! -...five... -...six... -Get up! He's good, he's good! HERB: Once again, the challenger finds his feet! Lean back! Lean back! TIM: Atom's getting pummelled into the corner! Get out of there, Atom! Move, Atom! Move! HERB: Oh! A demolishing inside shot. Get your hands up! Hands up! Crush that little can! Get out of the corner! HERB: Charlie Kenton desperately trying to command his robot out of that suicide corner. Cover up! Ah! Get your feet under you! TIM: Good night, sparring bot! It might have taken Zeus a little bit longer, -but he has done it again! -Yeah, Zeus! HERB: Atom is down for the third and possibly final time tonight. Stand up! CROWD: Two... -Come on! -...three... -Come on, Atom, get up! -...four... -Get up, Atom. -Get up, Atom. ...six... -...seven... -Get up! ...eight... nine... HERB: I don't believe this! Against all odds, this little bot is on his feet again. Come on, Atom! He can't survive this! Come on, Charlie! Right uppercut! HERB: Atom has landed a punch! -Yeah! -Yeah! -Zeus is stunned as he reels back from an uppercut that he clearly never saw coming! Advance! Fade back, counter right! Fade back, counter right! Right cross! Right cross! Right cross! Left hook! Let's go! Come on! -Take him down! -Double right to the body! HERB: For the first time in his dominant run, Zeus has met a bot who simply won't back down! (cheering) TIM: The crowd is going nuts! Zeus gives it everything he's got as we reach the last 15 seconds of round one! HERB: Zeus corners Atom, going double duty with both fists. Downtown, uptown, as the clock winds down! -Hang on, Atom! Hang on! -Hands up, chin down! Stay low! Stay low! CROWD: Eight! Seven! Six! TIM: Only five seconds left, as here comes that monster piston-packed right of the champ! -(bell dings) -HERB: But, oh! There's the bell. I don't believe it. Somehow, Atom has survived. -He made it! -Yeah! Come on! -We will have a second round. And the crowd here is thrilled! (cheering) He made it! Yeah! Corner! -Yeah! -Oh, yeah! We gotta get out of here, darling. Come on. We gotta get outta here right now! We gotta go this way. Come on, come on, come on, come on! Come here. Okay, you sit down. Let's go, homey. All right, all right, all right. Hey! I'll be back for you, baby. Hey, get-get off. -Get your hands off me! Come on! -MAN: Yeah! HERB: Both corners furiously working on their bots. I tell you, Tim, this crowd came here tonight expecting a massacre, but instead, they're getting a war. -You got it? -Yeah. All right. Here we go. What is happening? He is fully prepared for all possible contingencies. He will be fine. What next? Round two. (bell dings) HERB: Round two kicks off, and incredibly, the challenger, Atom, is giving the champ a run for his money. TIM: Zeus tosses the smaller bot across the ring like a tin can. HERB: Kenton working his bot with a trifecta of straight rights to the champ's dome. Toe-to-toe they stand, trading deafening blows. (stirring music) TIM: Whatever strategy either corner had cooked up has been destroyed! Metal bashing metal. Steel smashing steel. This is a brawl! HERB: The crowd is on their feet, watching two machines driven to kill each other. Something has to give, and it does! Atom goes down again! TIM: Lights out for the junkyard dog who put on a heck of a show here tonight! HERB: And yet again, Atom rises up. Kenton must have hardwired this bot with the will to go on. (inaudible) (upbeat music) HERB: Midway through round four, and Zeus is looking to end this thing right now. TIM: The champ is holding nothing back as he cracks open the hurt locker. (distorted): No, no, no, no! TIM: Atom is stumbling around the ring, apparently disoriented and dazed. -Charlie, get his hands up! -Hands up! -What's going on? I think the voice recog is shot. -He's not responding. -What? HERB: Zeus has found yet another gear of violence, drilling Atom's midsection. No! Stop! -Do something! -He can't hear me! -(bell dings) -HERB: But the bell sounds, and once again, this little robot has stunned the world. We're done, Max. Can't hear me. Okay? This is murder. We've had enough. I'm disabling the voice recognition. So what? He can't hear me. -Yes, but he can see you. -What? What is going on? I'm putting him in shadow mode. Show him what to do. Without the voice recognition, he'll move even faster. -No way. No way. Look at them. They are freaking out. Rich girl is ripping him a new one over there! Do you know why? 'Cause they're scared. 'Cause Atom can do things no other bot has ever done. But I can't do it. -Yes, you can. -I can't. I can't. Yes, you can. Show him what to do. You have to fight the last round. Don't ask me. Don't. Don't. Charlie... please. I beg you. (sighs) Are you kidding me with those eyes? Damn it. Yes! Can't believe I'm doing this. I know you're in there. I'm not sure if you're getting this or what, but I know you're in there! -Come on, Kenton. -In or out? -In. Give me a minute. (sighs) Okay. I know you can't hear me, but you can see me, so watch me! Watch... me. MAX: You know you're talking to a robot, right? I know. Shut up. Watch me. An epic battle being waged here tonight as the fifth and final round gets underway. -Yes! -Come on, Atom! Whoo-whoo! TIM: Wait a second, Herb. Are you seeing this? Charlie Kenton is shadowboxing just outside the ring. HERB: Tim, it looks like Atom has a shadow function, so, basically, that means Charlie Kenton is fighting the last round of this fight against Zeus. TIM: Well, I tell you what, it doesn't seem to be much help, 'cause Atom is backed up against the ropes again. -Oh, my God. No. -Come on, man! Charlie, help him! Fight back! Not yet. -Atom! Yeah! -Come on! Yeah! Yeah! -Watch his gimbals. -HERB: Tak Mashido supervising personally as Zeus hammers down, furiously trying to end this thing once and for all. I gotta tell you, folks, the champ looks tired. This robot seems to be running on empty. I don't believe it! Atom is taunting Zeus. -Switch to turbo! -He's actually asking for more. -Please do something! -Not yet! That's right, Charlie-- not yet. Nitrous pistons-- now! Charlie, he's not gonna last much longer. Fight back! -Not yet. -(groans) Yeah, yeah, yeah, hang in. Hang in there. HERB: Atom is riddled with the nitrous-fuelled Gatling guns of Zeus's blows. CROWD: Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Wait him out, wait him out, wait him out. Not yet, not yet. HERB: Zeus is slowing down! Tim, the champ's power core is clearly depleted. Charlie, please! Hey, kid. -Now. -Now! -(grunts) -(crowd cheering) -Come on! -(rapid beeping) Get in there! Don't let him re-- Knock that little bitch! Bust him open! (grunting) -Yeah! -Yeah! That's right! Do something! MAN: Come on, Zeus! -TAK: Move! -Use the hands! Use the hands! Override. Switching to manual. HERB: In a shocking move, Tak Mashido is manually operating his robot personally. (grunting) Work the body! Get inside him! -Get him, Atom! -(crowd cheering) HERB: Look at this! The champ is trying desperately to stay on his feet, but Kenton is relentless, landing blow after blow after blow to the body! (sentimental music) (sentimental music continues) SPECTATORS (chanting): Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Atom! Left! Right! Left! Right! A huge uppercut by Atom! -Zeus is down! -(crowd cheering) (panting) Yeah! HERB: This little bot has dug deep here tonight and shown something damn near heart. REFEREE: ...two... three... four... five... six... seven... -He's good! -MAN: Nowhere to go! Nowhere to go! HERB: Zeus gets to his feet, but Kenton has Atom on him again, landing punch after punch! -(Tak yells) -Tak Mashido and his super bot have no answer. Zeus pins Atom's left arm, but Kenton is undaunted! It all comes down to this, folks. Drop him, Charlie! Now! -HERB: Kenton is about to drop the champ, -(bell dinging) -and he's-- Oh! -TIM: No! There's the bell! -Zeus is saved by the bell! -(Tak yells angrily) WOMAN: For real, baby! Yeah! MAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah! That's it! No! HERB: Amazingly, Tim, we will go to the judges' cards! MAN: You showed 'em, buddy! Go on. ANNOUNCER (over P.A.): Ladies and gentlemen, after five rounds, we go to the judges' scorecards. -MAN: All right! -MAN 2: Atom bomb, here we go, baby! Judge Number One scores the fight 47-48. Judge Number Two scores the fight 48-46. And Judge Number Three scores the fight 47-46 for the winner, and still World Robot Boxing champion, Zeus! (crowd booing) (crowd shouting angrily) WOMAN: Come on! Farra... Farra, Farra Lemkova, you got way more than you bargained for tonight. Some would say that your bot won the decision, but lost the fight. Oh, she looks pissed. It took a little longer than we thought, but the result is as expected. -(crowd shouts, boos) -We won. Zeus is still undefeated. (crowd boos, whistles) Tak... Tak Mashido. Tak, any comment on the absolutely humiliating near-loss your bot suffered tonight? (exhales) Nothing. No comment. Max. Where's Max? Max, Max, go, go. Go, go. Go! There he-- ah, there he is-- Max. Max, they're already calling your bot "the people's champion." Yeah! Max, what do you say to that? People's champion? Sounds pretty good to me. MAN: Yeah! -Dad? Dad! -Max! Max! Max! -Dad! Where's my dad? Max... Max, I... I really want you to know-- no, I need you to know-- I-I... Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. -Wait here. Wait here. -REPORTER: Max! Max! Quick question, Max. -(Charlie grunts) -(Max yells) Yeah! Yeah! -Whoo! -CHARLIE: Yes! MAX: Yeah! (triumphant music) Yeah! Yeah! -Yes! -Yeah! (Max whoops) CHARLIE (laughing): Yeah!