The Day Before Everything Begins
Tomorrow was the day the show officially started.
Tomorrow was the day Owen Hendricks would walk into the CIA Office of General Counsel—where interns were supposed to read files, draft memos, and keep their heads down.
Except Owen knew the truth.
OGC wasn't normal.
The job looked like paperwork… but the paperwork could get you killed.
Foreign assets.
Blackmail.
Secret deals gone bad.
Rogue agents.
Moles.
Political knives waiting to stab you the moment you turned your back.
Most interns were protected by ignorance.
Owen?
He knew exactly how dangerous this world was because he'd watched it.
And now he had to survive it.
Morning: Remembering the Timeline
Owen stood at the window of his apartment as sunlight broke over Washington D.C., replaying Season 1 Episode 1 in his head like a tactical simulation.
Key characters he must prepare for:
1. Max Meladze
The asset who sends a letter threatening to expose CIA secrets.
The letter that drags Owen into international danger.
The woman who nearly gets him killed multiple times.
The woman he eventually protects.
2. Lester & Violet
OGC office rivals.
Petty, competitive, and dangerous if provoked.
In the original timeline, they sabotage Owen constantly.
3. Janus Ferber
Security Chief.
Human lie detector.
Terrifying but oddly philosophical.
A threat—but also the closest thing to a mentor.
4. Nyland
Director of OGC.
The one who assigns Owen to handle Max Meladze.
A man who hides ruthlessness behind bureaucracy.
5. Dawn
Field operative with a sharp tongue.
Not fully trustworthy.
6. Amelia Salazar
CIA agent, brief romantic connection, then betrayal.
She is unpredictable.
Owen rubbed his forehead.
Knowing the plot was both a blessing and a trap.
Change one detail… and everything might derail.
Harvey Specter Template Activation: Plan the Game
The system chimed.
TEMPLATE ADVICE: HARVEY SPECTER
When you can't win a rigged game… change the rules.
A flood of strategy clicked into place.
Owen inhaled sharply.
"Tomorrow is when Nyland gives me the Max Meladze file…
But what if I get ahead of that?"
The system responded.
SYSTEM: OBJECTIVE UPDATE
One day remaining before CIA employment begins.
Recommended Actions:
• Identify leverage over potential rivals
• Establish early alliances
• Research Max Meladze thoroughly
• Create alternative legal interpretations for her case
• Prepare countermeasures for office sabotage
• Review foreign asset handling protocols
• Mentally rehearse interactions with Janus Ferber
• Practice lie calibration (Harvey Specter module)
Owen grinned.
For the first time, he felt like he wasn't walking into a slaughterhouse unarmed.
Scene: Coffee With Hannah and Terence
Hannah was sitting at the kitchen counter reviewing corporate files before her shift. Terence sat opposite, typing Treasury spreadsheets.
"You look unusually intense this morning," Hannah said.
"Yeah," Terence added, "and your hair is doing that 'Harvey Specter in a courtroom' thing again."
Owen smirked. "It's the day before the CIA gig starts."
Terence whistled. "Big leagues."
Hannah leaned her chin on her hand. "Nervous?"
Owen considered lying.
Harvey wouldn't lie poorly—he'd redirect.
"Nervous? No."
He paused.
"Preparing? Absolutely."
Hannah gave a small smile. "I like this version of you."
His heart stuttered, but his face remained calm.
"Get used to him."
Terence groaned. "Please do not become a suit-wearing menace."
"No promises," Owen replied.
Scene: Strategic Preparation
Owen left the apartment and headed to a quiet, hidden law library near Georgetown.
The system guided him.
He researched:
intelligence case law
historical examples of assets blackmailing agencies
whistleblower precedents
war crimes statutes
covert immunity loopholes
foreign intelligence surveillance regulations
As he read, Harvey Specter's instincts turned the knowledge into weapons.
He could build a defense for Max Meladze—
but more importantly, he could build leverage over Nyland and OGC power players to protect himself.
Scene: The Moment of Realization
Hours later, standing outside, Owen stared at the CIA headquarters rising in the distance like a sleeping monster.
Tomorrow, he would meet:
the people who could kill his career
the people who could kill him
the asset whose life would be tied to his
agents who lived in grey morality
bureaucrats with knives hidden in their smiles
And unlike the show's Owen…
he wasn't going in blind.
But he had one more fear gnawing at him:
"What happens if I change too much?"
"What if I ruin the storyline?"
"What if new dangers appear—ones I can't predict?"
The system responded:
SYSTEM ADVICE:
Your goal is not to follow the timeline.
Your goal is to survive it.
Owen exhaled.
Right.
No more following the script.
Tomorrow, the CIA would meet a very different Owen Hendricks.
Not the scared intern.
Not the naive lawyer.
But a man carrying:
Harvey Specter's confidence
a soldier's instincts
survival knowledge
and future awareness
The old Owen was gone.
And the CIA had no idea what was coming.
The First Step Into the Lion's Den
The morning air was crisp as Owen stood before the CIA headquarters—a looming fortress of glass, steel, and secrets.
Yesterday, this building represented fear.
Today, it felt like a challenge.
A test.
A battlefield.
Inside him, Harvey Specter's confidence burned like a brand.
Owen adjusted his jacket, rolled his shoulders back, and walked through the doors as if he owned them.
Scene: Security Check — Janus Ferber
The moment Owen entered the lobby, he saw him.
Janus Ferber.
Head of CIA Security.
Human lie detector.
The man who once terrified him.
Not this time.
Janus's hawk-like gaze swept the room and landed on Owen.
"You. New guy."
Owen walked forward calmly.
Harvey Specter template instinct:
Control the first impression. Set the tone before they do.
Owen held Janus's stare without blinking.
"Morning, sir."
Janus raised an eyebrow. "You don't look scared."
"Should I be?"
Janus stepped closer, studying him with unsettling intensity.
"Most interns come in here twitching like caffeinated squirrels."
Owen allowed the smallest smirk.
"I'm not most interns."
Janus's eyes narrowed—then something surprising happened.
A faint ghost of a smile tugged his mouth.
"…Interesting. Don't disappoint me, Hendricks."
Owen walked past him without looking back.
Achievement Unlocked: Respect From Janus Ferber – Level 1
Scene: Office of General Counsel — Meeting Lester and Violet
Owen entered OGC to find Lester and Violet at their desks, whispering and laughing.
In the original timeline, they bullied him relentlessly.
Today?
He planned the reversal.
Violet spotted him first. "Wow. Look who decided to show up—Mr. Law School Nobody."
Lester smirked. "You ready to drown in email chains, Hendricks?"
Harvey's instincts kicked in automatically.
Owen set his briefcase down, looked both of them square in the eye, and in a tone smooth as polished steel said:
"If I drowned, I'd make sure you two went down first."
They froze.
Then Violet scoffed, but the crack in her confidence was obvious.
"Since when do you talk like that?"
"Since I realized this office responds to power," Owen replied. "And I don't plan on being at the bottom of your food chain."
Lester swallowed hard.
Timeline change:
Office bullies now see Owen as unpredictable.
A dangerous threat, not easy prey.
Scene: Director Nyland's Office — The Mission Assignment
This was the moment that started the whole show.
The moment Owen was handed Max Meladze's file.
In the original timeline, he stammered.
He babbled.
He had no idea what was coming.
This time… he was ready.
Nyland entered, carrying a thick manila envelope.
"Hendricks," Nyland said. "We need you to handle something routine. An asset sent a threatening letter. She claims the Agency wronged her. The typical nonsense."
He dropped the file on the desk.
Owen didn't flinch.
"Max Meladze," Owen said.
Nyland froze mid-step. "…You know the name?"
Owen casually opened the file. "I reviewed international asset protocols last night. I figured something like this might come up."
Nyland narrowed his eyes.
"Did Shepherd tell you? Did anyone brief you?"
"No, sir," Owen replied. "I did my homework."
Nyland looked… impressed. Cautious.
Maybe even suspicious.
Good.
Suspicion meant fear.
Fear meant respect.
"Most interns panic when they hear about assets," Nyland said slowly.
"I don't panic," Owen said. "I assess."
Harvey's tone slid into his voice, sharp and confident:
"And my assessment is simple.
If she's threatening exposure, the situation is already critical.
I'll handle it."
Nyland stared at him for a long time.
Then nodded.
"Fine, Hendricks. Show me what you can do."
Achievement Unlocked: Nyland's Trust — Level 1
Timeline Divergence: 4%
Scene: Leaving the Office — A Shadow Forms
Owen stepped out of Nyland's office holding the Meladze file.
His heart beat faster—not with fear, but with raw adrenaline.
Harvey Specter's confidence.
Survival instincts.
Knowledge of the future.
He was rewriting the show.
But as he walked down the hall, a chilling thought crept in.
If he changed too much…
the plot might create new threats.
Unpredictable threats.
Someone stepped out of a corner—Dawn, the operative, watching him with curiosity.
"You're the new kid handling the Meladze mess," she said.
"Interesting choice."
Owen maintained eye contact.
"Why?"
She smirked. "Because people who handle assets usually get shot at."
Owen smiled back—cold, sharp, Harvey-style.
"I'll take my chances."
Dawn raised a brow, impressed.
"You're bold. I'll keep an eye on you."
She walked away.
Scene: End of Day — Owen's Quiet Reflection
That night, Owen sat alone in his apartment reading Max Meladze's file.
Her crimes.
Her secrets.
Her threats.
In the show, she became a storm that destroyed everything around her.
But Owen whispered to himself:
"This time, I'll be ready."
The system chimed:
SYSTEM UPDATE
Tomorrow: First contact with Max Meladze.
Prepare for deviation.
Survival probability increased: +17%
Owen closed the file and leaned back.
Tomorrow… the real danger begins.
Tomorrow… he meets the woman who changes everything.
And this time?
He intends to change her fate—and his.