It wasn't until the First Lady's personal security detail explained to the National Guard troops—who had Ivan and his team of Russians surrounded, with heavy machine guns on their Humvees practically pointed at their heads—that Benjamin, still in a meeting with his generals and politicians inside the White House, learned that his wife and children had nearly been kidnapped. Fortunately, Gianna, the savvy mafia princess, had anticipated everything. Otherwise, while Benjamin might have escaped danger, losing his wife and children would have been a disaster.
This incident only deepened Benjamin's hatred for the LockSat organization and solidified his resolve to use this opportunity to uproot the entire group.
However, Banning, Benjamin's chief security officer, approached him with a troubled expression. Noticing Banning's unease, Benjamin, who had just received the news about his family's near-kidnapping, decided to give his top protector some face. After all, Banning had performed admirably during the attack. Benjamin asked, "What's wrong, Banning? Didn't we already take out all the militants outside?"
Banning hesitated before replying, "Mr. President, the South Korean Prime Minister is still being held hostage in the bulletproof limousine by his interpreter, Kim Yeon-kang, one of the masterminds behind this attack. The National Guard and FBI agents on the scene can't act without orders, and no one dares to issue a direct assault command. Also, Kim Yeon-kang wants to negotiate. He's willing to provide evidence against all the masterminds behind this attack in exchange for his life."
Damn it! If Banning hadn't brought this up, Benjamin would have completely forgotten about the unlucky South Korean Prime Minister. But now that he knew, he couldn't just ignore it. The fact that Kim Yeon-kang, one of the masterminds behind the attack on his residence, was using the Prime Minister's life as leverage to negotiate was infuriating. Although Benjamin wanted the guy dead, with the White House surrounded by media cameras, he couldn't just order his agents to storm the limousine without regard for the Prime Minister's safety. Doing so would be portrayed as the U.S. callously disregarding the life of an ally's high-ranking official.
South Korea was already a headache, with plenty of grievances over the U.S. military presence in their country. If Benjamin were to blatantly ignore the Prime Minister's safety, it would only make things worse.
Fine. Benjamin decided to play along with Kim Yeon-kang's demands. He would guarantee the man's "safety" in exchange for releasing the Prime Minister. As for Kim's offer to expose the masterminds behind the attack? Benjamin already knew who was involved. But having Kim's testimony would make things easier and help keep Castle, who had provided the intel, out of the spotlight.
As for what to do with Kim after he spilled everything? Guantanamo Bay seemed like the perfect vacation spot for him. After all, being thick-skinned and ruthless were essential qualities for a U.S. President!
Banning left to relay Benjamin's orders: rescue the South Korean Prime Minister first, then deal with Kim Yeon-kang. If Kim wanted to live, he'd have to release the Prime Minister and provide evidence against the masterminds. After that, Benjamin would send him on a "vacation" to scenic Cuba.
The main reason for this cautious approach was the sheer number of media reporters outside the White House—nearly as many as the FBI agents and National Guard troops. With at least 300 to 500 journalists on the scene, Benjamin couldn't afford to ignore the Prime Minister's plight. Even though Benjamin thought the guy had it coming for letting Kim into his delegation, the Prime Minister was still a head of state. For the sake of U.S. diplomatic image, Benjamin had to handle the situation carefully.
Meanwhile, what was our protagonist, Castle, up to? Nothing, really. The brigadier general who had taken over Andrews Air Force Base on Castle's advice was now basking in the glory of having two F-22s shoot down the unidentified plane, saving face for the Air Force. The general was too pleased to care what Castle was doing on the base.
But Castle remained clear-headed. In this attack, his role was simply to provide Benjamin with advance intel. He wasn't meant to be directly involved. Once he confirmed that the militants outside the White House were no longer a threat and that Ivan, under Gianna's command, had wiped out the LockSat team sent to kidnap the First Lady, Castle had the drone, which had been hovering over Washington with its optical camouflage activated, return to Andrews Air Force Base.
Castle's official reason for being at the base was to assess the feasibility of installing optical camouflage on fighter jets. With Benjamin handling the aftermath of the attack, Castle decided it was best to lay low and avoid the spotlight.
After all, Castle believed Benjamin knew who the real hero behind the scenes was. Castle hadn't gone to the White House himself, but Mozzie, Steve, Bob (the world's best sniper), and Booth (a former Ranger and tactical sniper) had all gone there through his connections. Their actions during the attack had proven their worth. Steve had fought on the front lines, while Bob and Booth had inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers with their sniper rifles. Benjamin would undoubtedly remember their contributions.
Moreover, Mozzie was still by Benjamin's side, participating in the post-attack meetings as his advisor. Castle didn't need to draw any more attention to himself. The smart move was to focus on his original mission at Andrews and complete the assessment.
Meanwhile, many LockSat members were preparing to flee. This attack was unlike anything they'd done before. While they had previously used their influence within the CIA to sabotage political rivals, funding a foreign group to attack the U.S. President's residence was an entirely different level of treason. If they didn't run now, they'd be dead men walking.
What they hadn't expected was that the fearless fighters recruited by Aamir and Kim Yeon-kang, despite their bravery, had lasted less than ten minutes before being wiped out. They hadn't even managed to harm Benjamin, the primary target of the attack. This was a disaster.
With their network of informants in the Pentagon, LockSat members quickly learned that Benjamin was unharmed and that the Speaker of the House and the Vice President—who should have supported LockSat—had abandoned them. Panic set in.
Benjamin, who already had a detailed list of LockSat members involved in the attack thanks to Castle, wasn't about to let these traitors escape. During the video conference, he authorized the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to locate and arrest a large number of LockSat members. Federal agents were already en route to various locations to carry out the arrests.
Washington was under a state of emergency, declared by Benjamin in a fit of rage in front of the Speaker and the Vice President. This allowed him to bypass the usual legal hurdles and order the arrests of high-ranking officials without warrants from the Attorney General or Supreme Court justices. While this was unprecedented in the U.S., the attack on the White House provided the necessary justification.
Benjamin knew he had to act quickly before the state of emergency expired. If he didn't seize this opportunity to take down LockSat's Washington operatives, he might as well resign as President.
(End of Chapter)
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