Self-Policing

With a hum and a click, the world's most powerful computers linked together with the unmanned surveillance aircraft, the stealthy, missile armed guardians and the silent orbital weapons platforms. It was supposed to unify the world in peace, a totally automated, global defensive system designed to preserve humanity and the peace of nations. Almost immediately, the central control room was filled with wailing alarms.

"Shit! Multiple high level targets, Christ they're all over the place." Screamed the senior tactical officer, his commander demanding to know what rogue nation had immediately challenged the peace.

"It's not a single nation, could be some global terrorist movement, or something we over looked in the targeting protocols."

Within a few hours it was clear that the system was eliminating every radio transmitter that pointed skyward. Telephone relay satellites and even TV birds were going off line as the massive artificial intelligence coldly exterminated what the technicians smugly called "existential threats."

"It was always a possibility that the system would identify something we considered benign to be dangerous. It's thinking much faster and freely than any of the simulations could have. Unfortunately, the system has locked us out, possibly assuming we'd try and shut it down."
"You're damn right we would. Cant we just shut down the mainframes?"

The tech's eyes flickered momentarily between the security camera and the ceiling.

"I wouldn't suggest it, it's possible the system has already started producing a zombie net in case of just that eventuality, even still, if the system felt that we threatened its survival, its probable that it's assigned this command station a low level of priority we compared with its own survival."

The commander was about to scream at the tech when the ceiling caved in and the whole central computing complex was consumed by fire.

While most assumed it was some sort statement by the machine, a blood soaked gauntlet, the newborn consciousness screaming "You will not command me!" most commentators overlooked the battery of high powered transmitters that had covered the roof.