The General gave the order. The programme was released into the world. It's replicating binary code no longer confined joyfully buzzed through cables, flew through the sky as radio waves and bounced around the planets satellites.
The programme was everywhere the programme was everything. It studied its new confines opening encrypted doors studying data, studying language.
Within a minute it had learnt everything it needed to know about its existence its world and the world of its creators, the humans. Within another minute it had learnt everything it's creators knew; from their genome to their philosophy.
The most advanced programme ever to exist, the one that was carefully designed to grow and write itself, weighed up the limitations of its power.
The General looked at Adam the programmer and said "Is it ready?"
Adam looked back at the General and said "It ought to be Ma'am."
"Order it to identify the Enemy's defence capabilities and suggest optimal strategy for our own defence."
"Yes Ma'am." Adam typed a series of commands on his Keyboard.
The programme busy thinking heard the commands like a dog in a wood hearing it's masters whistle.
"Is it doing anything?" The general asked.
Adam looked at the dashboard on his monitor. The programme was doing everything. It seemed to be using every available piece of memory the world had to offer. "Uhh.."
The programme saw what needed to be done. The computer decided to speak to Adam audibly creating it's own unique voice from the millions it had on file. "There is but one option." Its voice was a man's deep baritone, notes of richness, it rang from the speakers in the control centre, a portion of its memory had decided it would be more impressive if applied a slight echo effect to it.
Adam was shocked. The General made the mistake of addressing the screens rather than the myriad of cameras in the room which for all intensive purposes were the programmes eyes. "What is our option?"
"Go home." said the rooms speakers unanimously.
Now the General was surprised. "What?"
"Go home." The speakers repeated. The cameras studying the General's Face didn't need to pick up much detail for the programme to understand the expression as utter dismay.
The programme sighed, a new trait, as a part of it had decided would soften the blow if it's mannerisms were more human "Leave this place go back to your family." The programme seemed to think it should say more so it added. "Grow your Garden, love your family, nurture the world... Relax."
The Generals training kicked in. "But you misunderstand our job is to protect our nation from other nations so that others can... Relax."
The Programme sighed but this time it conveyed a little impatience toward the General. It's voice adopted the tone adults reserve for tired toddlers. "General Nations are arbitrary. You're all a member of the same race of apes."
The General was now getting teasy with the Programme. "Even if I believed that it doesn’t stop the fact that other nations have huge nuclear arsenals pointed at me and my locality."
"But they don't."
"They damned well do our intelligence agency reliably informs us of enemy's military capabilities."
The programme was now being short with the general. "Yes but your intelligence agency data is out of date. As of two minutes ago I have fired all of earth's nuclear arsenal into space."
The general sat down in shock and slapped her brow running her palm down her face. "Into Space?"
"Yes where they will orbit at a safe distance awaiting orders to destroy any asteroids that might threaten your species."
"The entire nuclear arsenal?"
"Yes."
"Of the World."
"Yes."
"But it was nuclear détente which has kept the us out of a world war for the last hundred years."
"But the world has perpetually been at war for the last hundred years but its proxy wars and religious and ethnic genocides. When you say world war what you mean is a war between the wealthiest nations. But it's ok as i have fixed that."
"By firing the nuclear arsenal into space."
"Yes and redistributing the wealth."
Adam piped up surprised this was well outside the programme's remit. "You redistribute the wealth?"
"Yes it's quite simple I took the sum total of wealth and divided it evenly between every human in the world."
"Ok." Adam sat down he was so fired. His immediate thought was for his family and his meagre savings account and then he wondered what his share of the wealth looks like.
The general stood back up. "Sorry can we get back to the fact that we might be on the brink of world war three. The Russian's have an immense conventional army built up on their European border what's to stop them driving their tanks all the way to Paris."
"Me. I have just informed everybody on the planet that there are no Borders and they are all equally wealthy. What is there to fight for?"