AN: Since I didn't want to write an entire actual script, this is heavily abridged, and nowhere near as good as something Serling would have actually written, but I still like how it came out.
Directed By: Joseph Newman
Written By: Rod Serling
Original Airdate: October 25, 1963
SCREEN: [A white door hovering in a white void, before opening to reveal a window on the other side. The window shatters, and is followed by a series of strange imagery, such as a disembodied eyeball and a clock face with rapidly moving hands]
NARRATOR: "You unlock this door with the key of imagination. 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 shadow and substance, of things and ideas; you've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone..."
SCREEN: [A man with prominent eyebrows and neatly slicked hair, wearing a dark grey suit stands in front of a blank backdrop.]
ROD SERLING: "Evolution. An unimaginably complex, yet somehow deceptively simple process of change and time. It was through evolution that the animal known as Man began to walk upright, to fashion tools, to tame fire, and finally, to claim dominion over the very Earth itself. But evolution has no end goal, it is change and adaptation made reality, and altough Man does not know it, or perhaps simply does not want to face it, he is not the ultimate link in God's great chain..."
SCREEN: [The exterior of a large, opulent school building overlooking a campus ground teeming with students, mostly teenagers, and the occasional teacher. The camera slowly zooms in on one of the windows on the fourth story, where a middle-aged man with a receeding hairline and a neatly trimmed moustache, dressed in a black-striped suit and tie, is standing, looking down on the people below with a sour expression.]
ROD SERLING: Meet Trent Biros, Principal of Arthur Machen High School, a small, petty man who sees the students under his care not as young minds in need of guidance, but rather as wild horses in need of breaking. Despite his lofty status, Mr. Biros is a particularly unhappy man for a variety of reasons, but most of all, because every waking hour is filled with a general sense of being cheated out of what he feels he is owed by the world, and that other, lesser people is getting what is rightfully his. While he doesn't have any specific examples, Mr. Biros sees plenty of people to blame for his misery, many of them half his age. And lately, his ire has been drawn towards one Harlan Quarlo...
SCREEN: [The camera zooms in on one particular student, a tall, gangly teenaged boy dressed in a sweater and slacks walking up towards the school from the parking lot, a stack of books under one arm. He avoids the other students as much as possible, looking down to avoid eye contact. Cut back to Biros who scoffs and turns away from the window and walks over to his desk.]
BIROS: *presses the button on his intercom* Mrs. Fowler, do you have the documents I asked for?
SCREEN: [A short, somewhat pudgy middle-aged woman in a dress and jacket walks in, holding a dossier.]
FOWLER: Why, yes, Principal Biros, but I'm still not quite sure what-
BIROS: I'm not asking for permission, Mrs. Fowler, just do your job.
FOWLER: But that Quarlo boy seems like such a nice lad. Not a spot on his record, no tardiness, good grades, not a single record of disciplinary actions...
BIROS: That's the point, Mr. Quarlo is far too good to be true. He might not be a delinquint just yet, but there's something wrong with him. He's been here since freshman year, and not a single misstep, NOTHING! Take my word for it, he's up to something, and I'm going to find out what.
FOWLER: But Principal Biros-
BIROS: You're dismissed, Mrs Fowler. Get back to work!
SCREEN: [Mrs Fowler leaves the office. Mr. Biros sits at his desk, reading through the documents in the dossier.]
.....
(Time Stamp: 12 Mins, 34 Sec.)
SCREEN: [A student is rushing down the stairs and trips over one of the steps, but before he can crash down the staircase, he seems to slow down in mid-air, allowing him to grab the bannister and steady himself. The student looks around, but there's no one around. Unseen, Harlan Quarlo is standing behind the corner on the upper floor, his hand tightening as he focuses unseen powers to save the student. Further down the hall, Mr. Biros is hiding in a doorway, observing the event.]
....
SCREEN: [A clock face shows the time of 12:15 PM. The camera pans out to reveal a crowded lunch room, except one table in a corner strangely only holds one occupant despite the filled tables around it. Harlan Quarlo sits alone, eating methodically, almost robotically. Mr. Biros is watching from an upstairs window overlooking the cafeteria, a suspicious expression on his face.]
....
SCREEN: [The inside of a classroom, a male teacher is writing mathematical equations on the blackboard. Harlan Quarlo is meticulously taking notes, his eyes never even glancing at the notebook as he stares at the blackboard, only pausing to blink. Mr. Biros glances in through a crack in the door. Harlan suddenly looks behind him, and Biro moves out of view. Harlan turns back, his face an expressionless mask.]
....
(Time Stamp: 16 Mins, 27 Sec)
SCREEN: [Inside of Mr. Biros office, his expression now beginning to look increasingly nervous, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead as he flips through the documents about Harlan Quarlo. He finds Quarlo's listed home adress, along with a phone number, and picks up the reciever, quickly dialing.]
OPERATOR: The number you have dialed is currently not in service. Please make sure you-
SCREEN: [Mr. Biros slams the phone back down, and presses the button for his intercom.]
BIROS: Mrs. Fowler? Do we have any records of Harlan Quarlo's parents ever participating in school events? Or PTA meetings?
FOWLER: Why, no sir. They've only ever contacted the school via mail. No personal visits, as far as our records show. Why do you-
SCREEN: [Biros turns the intercom back off, ignoring Mrs. Fowler, and stands up from his chair, walking over to the window. A school bell rings somewhere outside, signalling the end of the day, and students begin milling out through the doors. Biros eyes narrow as he spots Harlan Quarlo leaving. He thinks for a moment, before rushing out the doors for his office.]
.....
(Time Stamp: 22 Mins, 15 Sec)
SCREEN: [Mr. Biros is stumbling through a darkened warehouse, lit only by a few flickering lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, old broken wooden crates scattered across the floor. His clothes are filthy and disleveled, and his hair is matted and sweaty. He's clutching a revolver in a shaking hand.]
BIROS: QUARLO! Damn you, Quarlo, I know you're in here, you freak! You're not getting away from me again! FACE ME, DAMNIT!
SCREEN: [There's a sound of footsteps as Quarlo walks into view from behind some of the crates. Unlike Mr. Biros, he's dressed as impeccably as before.]
QUARLO: Principal Biros. You've been quite persistent over these past few days. Why have you been so obsessed with following me?
BIROS: You know why, you freak! I saw those... those things you could do. Moving things just by looking at them. Your home adress just led to an empty lot. The people listed as your parents have been dead for 20 years! When I tried to follow you, you somehow disappeared as soon as you left my line of sight! I don't know what you are, but you're not human! You're... some sort of abomination!
QUARLO: Principal Biros, don't you think you're exagerating? Yes, you're right, I have been lying about who I am, because as your own behavior proves, just having people know who I really am puts me in danger. But I'm just as human as you, Mr. Biros. I'm simply a more... advanced form of human. I am what they call a mutant, a person born with superhuman abilities.
BIROS: Hah, so I was right! You ARE some sort of monster! Just a freak pretending to be human to hide among us!
QUARLO: Is a man with red hair not human? Is a man with albinism not human? I might have abilities that set me apart, but that doesn't make me any less human than you.
BIROS: That's utter nonsense! You can't be a man, and still have abilities like yours! I don't care what you say, you're not a person! You don't have a right to walk around among us decent folks like you're not something horrible! You have to be put down, so you can't spread your... your freakishness to anyone else!
QUARLO: You'd go so far as to kill me over something I have no control over? I was born this way, does that mean I deserve to be murdered?
BIROS: Bah, murder! Is it murder to put down a sick animal? Who knows, I might even get a reward once they carve you up and find out what you really were! Yes, I like that! Trent Biros, savior of the human race!
SCREEN: [Mr. Biros raises his gun and pulls the trigger, but the weapon refuses to fire. Biro struggles with the gun, but no matter what he does, it remains useless. When he looks up, Quarlo has suddenly appeared in front of him. Biros tries to back away, but Quarlo raises his hands, reaching from Biros head]
BIROS: NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME-
SCREEN: [The screen fades to black as Quarlo's hands reaches towards the camera.]
....
(Time Stamp: 28 Mins, 21 Sec)
SCREEN: [Interior of Mr. Biros office, the clock on the wall shows the time of 8:30 AM. The door opens, and Mrs. Fowler steps in. The camera pans out, revealing Mr. Biros behind his desk, writing on some papers.]
FOWLER: Good morning, Principal Biros. Do you need anything this morning?
BIROS: Yes, could you please take the Harlan Quarlo documents back to the files? I've no further use of them. The research didn't pan out.
FOWLER: Why, didn't I tell you? That Quarlo boy wouldn't harm a fly!
SCREEN: [Mrs. Fowler leaves, Biros stops writing for a moment, staring into nothing, like he's trying to recall some lost memory.]
BIROS: Yes... wouldn't harm a fly... wouldn't harm... wouldn't...
SCREEN: [The camera moves away from Biros and out the window behind him, where a lone figure stands on the sidewalk, staring up at the window. As the camera zooms in, it's shown to be Quarlo, who is soon joined by two other teenagers, one a girl with long, blonde hair in a white dress, the other a black boy wearing a letterman jersey, both of them with the same strange, blank look Quarlo has. The camera zooms out again, showing atleast a dozen teenagers lining the sidewalk around him. The Twilight Zone theme begins to play]
SERLING: Principal Biros, a small, petty man, who has just learned a difficult lesson; change is an inescapable part of life, no matter how much you might not want it to be. Even in the Twilight Zone...