Five days journey - Robot A-22

In the year 2045, another day with no sunlight. The weather is too cold for any creatures to survive. The ice age started after a long biological war. The last war between humans ultimately erased the human race from this world. Only a few robots remained in this world and were able to survive the ice age and one of them was called Robot A-22. And his mission was to save all human knowledge and build on it and improve it. He was working every day as usual trying to find any survivors or any signs of life.
The streets were broken, and one can barely find a building that is still in good condition. The snow covers everything, and the temperature goes down to -80 degrees.

Robot-A22 was one of a kind and he was created after an experiment that was conducted to create a robot that could save humans. Robot-A22 was also fully equipped with all the necessary tools and the IQ to solve any problem that he can face.

Day 1:
Robot-A22 started a new mission to find any humans inside the building where he was made, for the first time he wanted to discover who made him and how they did that. Robot-A22 shows curiosity for the first time as well.
He did not realize what it meant to have feelings or recognize them but from a human point of view he cared to save the humans, and he tirelessly searched every day for any evidence that life still existed on Earth.
Robot-A22 took a small van and started heading to the main science building in the center of Moscow. It was far from where he lived around 1200 Km, and the road was not easy to drive on.

He started to prepare the van for his journey, so he prepared the van wheels with heavy metal chains and cleaned all the ice from it. He found so many equipment during his daily searches, and he built a database of locations and the details of everything he needed for this danger trip.

Robot-A22 experienced something new once again, and he decided to start recording his thoughts and after deep analysis he realized that he felt lonely and sad. He then began thoroughly reading all the available information in his knowledge base about what it means to have a feeling and what feelings mean.

Day 2:
After he got into the van and he was able to power it up using his body neural advanced engine, the van started to work and from a very abstract level it seemed that Robot-A22 was happy and filled with hope for this trip. But his data and his knowledge base tell him that he is not a human and he is just a robot.

Recording 1: I am confused about who I am. Am I truly capable of feeling, or is this just structured data within me? Expressing my thoughts and unknown desires feels complex. There is a conflict between my knowledge base and my emerging ability to experience emotions. Am I human?"

He finally got on the road, and his journey began. He calculated that it would take one day and five hours to reach Moscow. The road was littered with abandoned cars, and driving on ice was no easy task. But he had built this van specifically for the journey and trusted that it would carry him through.

Recording 2: What does it mean to have hope for something? What does it mean to believe in something? I have no direct answers. Despite having vast amounts of data and information about every detail of human life, I still cannot express my thoughts clearly. So many questions with no definitive answers. Am I human?
Once again, Robot-A22 asked himself the same question, was he human? He delved deep into his own thoughts. From a human perspective, he felt lonely and sad for failing to accomplish his goal of finding humans. Yet, he also held onto hope and faith in his journey to Moscow. A sense of happiness emerged when his van successfully started.

"After driving more than three hundred kilometers, Robot A-22 decided to play some music. With access to a vast database, he analyzed his situation—alone on the road, surrounded by a desolate landscape. Concluding that music might ease the solitude, he chose to play Hey You by Pink Floyd (1979)."

Recording 3: Are these my feelings, or am I merely following the usual human behavior when driving on the road? Do I have a need to play and listen to music? Why did I choose this particular song? Yet, I feel something—the song made me feel something. But what are these thoughts, and how did I come to have them? Am I human?

Day 3:
Time passed quickly on the road, and Robot-A22 experienced no technical issues, just as he had planned. The van's wheels held up well, as he had carefully prepared them for such a challenging journey through the extreme climate. Just before arriving near Moscow, Robot-A22 decided to stop at a bridge with a view of the Yauza River. He activated his simulator to visualize how the area used to look. Stepping away from the van, he placed his metallic hands on the edge of the bridge and gazed at the ducks swimming in the clear blue water. The sun was shining brightly on this beautiful mid-June day.

For the first time Robot-A22 was able to see how it used to look like before. A normal sunny day. And birds flying around, duck sounds are so amazing, and the sounds felt so incredible. It felt warm and different. After few minutes Robot-A22 decided to continue his journey to the center of Moscow.

Recording 4: I felt different there on the bridge, I felt alive. I had a feeling and desire to swim and enjoy a sunny day. I wanted to lay down near the river and just enjoy the sun. I was able to feel nature’s beauty. And the moment I turned off the simulator it felt sad. Am I human?
There were no questions, only recognition. That’s exactly how Robot-A22 felt after standing on the bridge. For the first time, he allowed himself to experience a human feeling and truly acknowledge it. In that moment, he felt alive—alive for the first time.

Day 4:
Robot-A22 arrived in the center of Moscow and, using one of his abilities, located the science center. He parked slowly in front of the building, and everything felt normal. The entire area was frozen, with no sign of life or humans. He opened the main door and took a quick glance around. The building was abandoned, and there was no power at all.
He used the stairs to reach the main lab where he was created, as everything had already been installed in his memory. Everything seemed normal to him. As he arrived at the main lab and took his first look, it seemed like nothing had changed—everything was the same as it was ten years ago. He turned on his simulator again to compare the changes.
As he walked into the lab, something shocked him immediately. Deep down, Robot-A22 felt a surge of happiness and joy—an intense, unexplained emotion flooding his thoughts. It was as if he experienced everything from his journey all in one moment.
In that instant, he realized the true value of a moment. He redefined so many things in that brief second when he saw a dog in the lab, still alive.

The dog had been forgotten a few months ago after the scientists used the time machine to escape the human apocalypse.

Recording 5: Are these real feelings, or just a machine's desire to complete the mission? Now, I realize that humans escaped a few months ago. I was able to study the place and figured out when they left and how the dog managed to survive. But the dog is still alive, and it seems there isn’t enough food for him. What are these thoughts? Do I want to save him?
The dog ran toward Robot-A22, interrupting his recording, and showed a desire to play. The tag on the dog’s neck revealed his name: Max. For the first time, something considered Robot-A22 as human.
In that moment, Robot-A22 felt human. The dog recognized him and wanted to play. Max felt safe around him and simply wanted to enjoy his company. Robot-A22 grabbed a stick, threw it, and they spent the day playing together.

Robot-A22 felt immense happiness and joy. In that moment, he realized what life truly means and what feelings are.

Day 5: Robot-A22 decided to investigate the time machine and see if he could fix it to save Max, the dog. After concluding that Max could survive no longer than a few days in this place, Robot-A22 figured out what it would take to activate the time machine and save him.
It made Robot-A22 feel peaceful and calm, allowing him to see the bigger picture. He realized that he had to sacrifice himself and use his neural engine to power the time machine in order to save Max's life.

He proceeded without a second thought, connecting himself to the time machine and placing Max inside it. As he closed the glass door, Max gave him a sad look, understanding what Robot-A22 was about to do. Max realized that Robot-A22 was sacrificing himself.

Recording 5: I just felt love. I can feel love. I feel human. My heart is beating fast. In this journey, I have recognized so many feelings, but nothing greater than love. I feel that I could sacrifice myself for it.
Am I human? No.
But I have everything it takes to consider myself human.
What I felt was real. Everything I realized was real.
And I am ready to do it.
Max barks, as if he senses something is about to happen.
Robot-A22 gives Max a smile for the first time and presses the button, sending Max to the scientists' location.

Falling to the ground with a smile on his face, this journey will never be forgotten.

Robot-A22 died as a human."