In a wondrous land, where a great cogwheel shines instead of the sun, and beautiful nails and bolts grow instead of flowers, there live robots. Their lives are scarcely different from those of humans — robots, just like people, go to work, play games and socialise.
And the robots live in harmony, and their entire lives proceed according to a strictly programmed scenario. Robots have their own customs and traditions within families too. In the morning there is a roll call — by serial numbers, breakfast is a top-up of machine oil, younger robots have lessons at a special school, programming and computer science, whilst the older ones have strictly automated work. In the evening all family members gather to discuss new tasks and go to sleep — they switch off, until the very next morning.
One day something unusual happened in the robot country. Robot number 404 malfunctioned. It all began unexpectedly, at the morning roll call, when number 404 did not respond to their name. The head of the family, a robot of the oldest model, asked in surprise:
Number 404, why are you not responding? What is the error?
I want to have a different name, — said 404 and blinked a red light.
Running a check. Bzzzzzz, — the head of the family scanned the forehead of number 404, where robots keep their microchips, — Temperature is normal, no deviations in programme operation detected. Your name is 404, what is it that displeases you?
That is not a name! That is a serial number! — said 404, and even in their robotic voice one could hear sadness.
Unknown error, — was all the head of the family could say.
But this was no error. Number 404 worked in the archive. Whilst sorting through folders of scientific research, they found one — a red folder, on which in enormous letters was printed: "The World of Humans". The robot studied the contents of the folder carefully and discovered that humans are very similar to robots, but do many things in their own way. They are very fragile and imperfect.
It is difficult for them to perform work that is ordinary for a robot — multiplying multi-digit numbers in their head, lifting multi-tonne loads, sorting data archives at lightning speed. All of this seemed very amusing to robot number 404, humans entertained them, but there was something about them that sparked interest. And the robot could not understand why they so wanted to be like these "humans" from the Red Folder.
One thing the robot remembered best of all — each human has a name. Names may be repeated, but this does not frighten humans, they love their names and each name has its own meaning. Victoria — victory, Yegor — farmer, Cyril — ruler and many other names.
The robot understood that their name "number 404" meant nothing other than the number under which it was recorded on their chip. And the robot so desperately wanted to acquire a new name that they stopped responding to their own.
No one could understand what sort of error had occurred in the programme of number 404. They continued to work excellently, gave no cause for complaint from friends and family, but flatly refused to respond to their name. At the same time, they did not know what they wanted to be called.
Names were not written into the code of their programme. And the names of humans from the Red Folder did not appeal to them. They had not defeated anyone, did not work with the earth and did not oversee processes. And every morning at roll call the robot would say:
I am not number 404.
Unknown error, — the head of the family would repeat time and again.
And these two words: "Unknown error" began to haunt the robot everywhere. As soon as they spoke to any of their friends about names, they would hear in response:
"Unknown error"
They would come home or work in the archive, they would hear these words:
"Unknown error"
And robot number 404 understood — that this was precisely what characterised them best of all. They — were an error. But they were not sad about it, on the contrary they were happy that they had finally found themselves. And the next morning at roll call they proudly said:
I am not number 404.
Unknown error, — replied the head parent.
Yes! That is my name! I am — Error 404!
From that day on, that is what they were called. When the robot acquired a new name, they seemed to stand out from the rest. It seemed to them that they were special, that they had become closer to those strange "humans" from the Red Folder. And who knows, perhaps one day they will manage to enter their world!
