The Network

(To be expanded as Re-Read continues)

Spinning out of the discoveries of the 3rd story arc, deep in the intricacies of the TIA blossomed a cancer. With the need for intelligence gathering and other aspects of its remit, and in some ways birthed from its inception incorporating many of the world's intelligence agencies and structures, there came a new way of doing things.

With the base TIA structure being similar to the old KGB/CIA Station Chief, with support teams and local subordinates brought in as needed, things got out of hand quickly. It didn’t take long before the joke of the TIA’s insignia of a stylized π, being an infinite number indicating that there really was no end to the staff and reach of the TIA. And these Station Chiefs with almost no oversight, and initially working towards the goal of gathering as much intelligence as possible, recruited locally and integrated themselves into their local timezones. In doing so they started to take advantage of their access in ways that while may have started small soon blossomed out to include any number of criminal and immoral activities, as they slowly coalesced into what was essentially a TIA within the TIA, dedicated to the amassing of wealth and power through exploiting the ability to hop throughout time and have contacts with criminal and business personnel.

This doesn't come to the fore as something that those outside the TIA are aware of fully until before the 9th story arc, at which point the Time War escalates, and General Forrester is put in charge of the newly combined TIA & 1st Division. He discovers the enormity of the situation, and sets out to clean up the agency, ending up with a price on his head.