As a secret organization that originated within the CIA, LockSat truly began to flourish during the Cold War era. Initially, it was just a secret society (seems like Americans really love this kind of thing, huh?). Whether it's fraternities in universities or other strange sororities, it seems like people in this immigrant-founded country have a natural inclination for such organizations.
In reality, this is a reflection of the fact that this country, which has only existed for a little over 200 years, didn't start off on the right foot. This nation was essentially founded by people who were dissatisfied with the exploitation of their colonial ruler, the British Empire, and who formed secret societies to overthrow British rule. Secret organizations have a long history here, from the Freemasons to the Ku Klux Klan, and even the highest number of cults in the world, like the one Tom Cruise joined, Scientology.
So, the emergence and existence of the LockSat organization wasn't really a big deal and hadn't previously caught the attention of those in power. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Castle's father had been persecuted by this organization and forced to flee, and if Castle himself hadn't known about it from the original series and had a mission to destroy it before it could harm Beckett, and if he hadn't quietly informed Benjamin about its existence within the CIA after helping him become president, Benjamin might never have known that such an organization existed within the agency directly under his command.
The phrase "how can one tolerate others snoring beside their bed?" perfectly captures the mindset of any normal ruler. Therefore, after taking office, regardless of his initial intentions, Benjamin immediately purged the CIA. Despite having only been in office for a short time, Benjamin didn't hesitate to clean house within the CIA based on the detailed list of LockSat members provided by Castle. He even accepted the severe decline in the CIA's capabilities as a necessary sacrifice. After all, a clean and loyal team was far more important to the newly inaugurated president than an agency harboring a treacherous and scheming organization. Moreover, the CIA's influence had already been declining significantly in recent years, especially after the European branch was left in shambles by the rogue agent Jason Bourne. For Benjamin, this was the perfect time to purge the hidden organization within the CIA.
However, both Benjamin and Castle underestimated the resilience and reach of this organization. Much like Hydra in the Marvel universe, LockSat had grown far beyond its origins within the CIA. Castle hadn't anticipated that LockSat had already spread its influence far and wide, with many of its members leaving the CIA and planting the seeds of the organization throughout various sectors of the U.S.
Although the U.S. doesn't have a saying like "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun," that doesn't mean the members of LockSat didn't understand the essence of that idea. As a result, in addition to infiltrating the political arena, the military became a key target for LockSat's expansion.
This, combined with Castle's politically naive decision to push Benjamin into purging the CIA—LockSat's birthplace—immediately after taking office, naturally earned him the organization's hatred. In retaliation, LockSat members within the political and military spheres teamed up with Aamir Barkawi, who harbored a deep grudge against the U.S., to orchestrate the shocking attack that had just unfolded.
To be honest, this was largely due to Castle's political ignorance. He hadn't considered the consequences of urging Benjamin to purge the organization immediately after taking office. Benjamin, relying solely on Castle's intelligence, had no idea that LockSat had grown into a behemoth far beyond its roots in the CIA.
The only silver lining was that the organization didn't seem to have the backing of the true power brokers in the U.S.—whether it was the military-industrial complex, pharmaceutical companies, or wealthy families. In other words, the vast majority of LockSat's members had climbed their way up from the bottom. The involvement of two senators was purely based on mutual interest rather than shared ideals. This meant that while LockSat had many members, its influence and voice in the upper echelons of power were minimal, if not nonexistent. This was the primary reason Castle felt confident enough to let Benjamin use himself as bait to lure out the organization. If LockSat had any significant military backing, Benjamin wouldn't have dared to risk his life in such a manner.
If the organization had the support of any powerful military-industrial complex or other influential entity, Castle wouldn't have dared to let Benjamin face the threat with just his bodyguard, Banning, and the three experts Castle had provided.
Fortunately, both Benjamin and Castle's luck held, and they won this high-stakes gamble. Now that Benjamin, as the new U.S. president, had successfully lured out LockSat and survived the hail of bullets, it was time to reap the rewards and eliminate the organization's members.
Thus, after emerging from the White House—which had been left in ruins by the intense gunfire—and proving to the gathered media that he was unharmed, Benjamin's first order of business was to announce that the attack had been carried out by a disgruntled former arms dealer turned terrorist, Aamir Barkawi, in collaboration with a domestic organization opposed to his presidency.
Of course, Benjamin didn't reveal the name of the organization in his speech. However, he did claim that intelligence agencies had gathered enough evidence to charge the organization with treason. With authorization from a Supreme Court justice and the approval of the Attorney General, arrests of known members were already underway.
Benjamin couldn't reveal everything, of course. If the American people learned that not only were their politicians corrupt, but that this organization had even infiltrated the military—the last line of defense—it could have unintended consequences. Never overestimate the intelligence of the American public. This is a country where 2% of the population, educated in elite institutions, leads the remaining 98%, who are raised on "happy education." In fact, if Benjamin hadn't resolved the attack within ten minutes, many Americans, upon learning that their capital, the president's residence, and even the president himself had been attacked, might have taken to the streets for some "retail therapy." After all, such opportunities don't come often. Who knew if the president would survive? If he were killed, the U.S. would likely plunge into temporary chaos. For the majority of Americans who don't care who's in office, worrying about the president's fate was far less appealing than taking advantage of the situation for some "shopping."
Fortunately, Benjamin had neutralized almost all the attackers within ten minutes and held a press conference in front of the half-destroyed White House within half an hour of the attack, proving to the world—and especially to those contemplating looting—that he was unharmed. Otherwise, who knows how many cities would have been ransacked by opportunistic individuals?
But what no one knew was that before Benjamin emerged from the White House, he had already secured the temporary powers he needed thanks to the "attack." Based on recent surveillance and investigations by JARVIS, all LockSat members directly or indirectly involved in the attack, including key military operatives, had been identified. With arrest warrants signed by a Supreme Court justice, Benjamin had already dispatched the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to apprehend them.
The Pentagon was reluctant but had no choice in the face of the evidence. It had already been confirmed that Colonel Clark, the former deputy commander of Andrews Air Force Base, was a member of LockSat. During interrogation, he even revealed that the organization had placed a similarly ranked officer at Edwards Air Force Base. With this confession in hand, the Pentagon, however unwilling, couldn't oppose the commander-in-chief's order to arrest these military members of LockSat. In theory, Benjamin was the head of the military, and regardless of how the president was perceived as a "figurehead," he was still the nation's leader. His order to arrest these hidden operatives was entirely justified.
Meanwhile, the reporters gathered in front of the White House were ecstatic. Many of them had captured the entire attack on camera, and now they had learned that the assault was the result of a domestic traitorous organization. This was huge news…
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