A/N: Hello everyone. This is a story collab with CrumpetCapers and swagUPwindowsDOWN. We have enjoyed working on this together, and we hope that you enjoy it as much as we have!

Neither one of us own Big Time Rush. As soon as one of us does, you are invited over for a party.

Project 33XY

~flashback-three years after conception~

The bright halogen lamp illuminated the transparent incubator, and the tiny dark-haired boy's eyes popped open. He squinted, and attempted to shield himself from the intensity of the light with a small chubby hand.

"Well, I'll be…this is rather fascinating," the man in the white lab coat said, peering curiously inside.

"What is it, David?" another man in an identical lab coat asked, moving to stand beside him. "Whoa, if I didn't know better, I'd say he's suddenly sensitive to the light," he said.

Three more lab technicians made their way to the heated incubator, and leaned in to study the nude toddler. "It looks like his pupils are actually dilating and constricting," one man said with amazement.

The little boy furiously blinked dark eyes, and focused on the faces surrounding him from above. He seemed wary of their scrutiny for the first time since his development.

"Hello, thirty-er Logan," the female lab technician said, quickly correcting herself. She remembered that they had agreed to start calling him by a given name, and not a number so that he might familiarize himself with it early on. They had failed to keep androids A through K viable, so L became the next letter in line. Marina, the kindest member from the team of scientists, had chosen the name Logan. She explained that it would have been the one she chose, if she hadn't dedicated her life to science and had a son of her own.

"How are you today?" Linda asked, her eyes narrowing. His eyes traveled over her face suspiciously, and he shrank away. "You know me, I'm Linda, remember?"

She tugged the lapel of her white jacket forward for him to see the embroidered name. The android had been reading for over two years, and most likely upon first breath, if there had been a means to gauge such things. "It seems confused," she said irritably. "I said I'm Linda," she repeated more firmly, her brow furrowing with impatience.

He remembered her all right, and he associated the look she currently wore on her face, with pain. She was the one who had given him several injections, then drawn eight tubes of blood from him the day before. Since his conception in the lab three years prior, the team had experimented with injecting superior human DNA, as well as synthetic polymers, into him, with hopes that the small boy would grow to seem more human-like, and eventually blend into society. That would be when their true experimentation would take place.

In the meantime, the tiny android boy had undergone numerous and often painful procedures in the three years that he had been the center of Project 33XY, but without a voice to relay pain, or the ability to cry tears...he was nothing but a lab rat to the team of scientists. He was a lab rat devoid of emotion or feeling, as far as they were concerned.

~flashback-eight years after conception~

The little form inside the incubator trembled. Over the years, it had grown like a human would; much to the scientists' amazement, and they'd had to transfer it from a bigger incubator. Not as much progress had been made since the revelation of the android being sensitive to the light.

Long, excruciating procedures that never quite worked, put the little android in so much pain that he just wanted to express it in some way. He definitely could think. Not in a way like humans, with thoughts based on logic and instinct, but in a more informed and learnt way. At first he had no way of thinking at all. This had been one of the things that had developed. Ever since that day, they had stuck wires onto his forehead, monitoring his brain activity on large and confusing machines.

Other wires were attached to his body as well. Three placed over his chest, and one on both arms. Project 33XY had been grown in the lab, via the most technologically advanced equipment known to man. Previous projects had been tried and failed, multiple times. They didn't have much hope for this one, but when it survived more than a week, their spirits were heightened. It was at the one year mark that they began injecting it, and trying to make its features more human.

No one felt bad for what they were doing. It was their job. The US government was paying them a lot of money for making this project and making it work. Its purpose was top-secret, and only the most senior of scientists knew why they were making it in the first place. All that the others were certain of, is that it would change their world as they knew it.

Linda had aged quite a bit in those five years. She was no longer a thirty year-old woman with shining brown hair and no wrinkles. Now, she was exactly the opposite. Grey hairs appeared from under her shoulder length strands, and stress had crinkled her brow. She was the first to notice the strange behavior from the boy in the incubator.

"Michael, look." She called over her colleague, to show him what was happening. If she didn't know any better, she would say that Logan was trying to curl in on himself. He was wrapping his bony arms around his torso and his knees had been drawn up to his chest. His whole body was trembling and there were small, visible bumps on his arms.

"Goosebumps? It can't be." Michael gasped upon realizing what the bumps were.

"Do you think he's cold?" Linda asked rather stupidly, too much in awe to see how obvious it was. Her foolishness was not noticed by Michael however, who was in the same predicament.

Michael leant over the incubator and pressed a button to turn up the heat. They both watched as slowly, Logan unfurled himself, and settled back into a deep sleep.

Linda got out an official-looking, brown leather book. It was where they recorded everything that the android developed.

"Aged 8 years, 3 months and 9 days." She said as she wrote. "Developed feelings of temperature."

~flashback-thirteen years after conception~

The thirteen year-old no longer fit into any standard incubator. However, one had been specially constructed for the first successfully thriving teen android. He could sit up in it with back support, or lie down to sleep, but he couldn't get out without someone taking him out. It was kept locked at all times unless project 33XY, aka Logan, was being tested or experimented on.

Hence, the incubator became a safe haven of sorts for the young teen, and he began to grow fearful and apprehensive when Linda came to remove him. She complained to her assistants that he was growing too big for her to control on her own, even though the dark-haired boy was actually waif-like in stature. It was safe to say that he was about the size of an average ten-year old, although aged thirteen, but his steady growth was an incredible feat, nonetheless. It frustrated the team that he remained below standard weight, but it was difficult to supply him with the proper nutrients. They were not yet to able to decide the requirements for an organic android, or how to nourish him properly. They originally fed him intravenously, then progressed to tube feedings as his digestive system began to function.

In actuality, Logan often went to sleep hungry and gnawing on his fist for comfort, crying inwardly when his growing tummy rumbled throughout the night. He also began to fear the darkness of the lab, where at night his only source of light was an infrared heat lamp over his incubator that cast eerie shadows all around.

Logan would sit for hours in his little pod, wide-eyed and with his thin arms wrapped around his slender nude body, knees pulled close to his chest. He didn't understand the frightening feelings he was experiencing, he only knew that painful things took place in the lab when he awoke the next day, and that at night he was left all alone to mull them over in his brilliant mind.

He was certainly fearful of Linda, that was a given. She had dedicated her entire life to the project, and she let no one forget it. All members of the team were sworn to secrecy once coming on board, and their living years pledged to be spent on the android's existence and development, but none had given up as much as she believed she had.

Her fiancée had left her long ago, when he clearly understood that her loyalties lie with her career and not with him. She had never loved another since, and the long hours she toiled over trying to understand the metamorphosis of the android, had taken a toll on her looks and well-being. Her hair had almost fully grayed, and the frown lines had deepened.

She now considered the android to be more of a possession than a project, and when she was feeling especially volatile towards the fragile boy, she never hesitated to make him pay for it. This day was no exception. Linda had just finished explaining to David, that Logan had been difficult during his daily injections. He had writhed around on the table, and in her words, became hostile when she attempted to fill his bladder with water to test how long he could hold it, without expelling the fluid so that they might try letting him process fluids on his own.

They had documented the obvious changes over the years, such as sensitivity to light, and they were thrilled to find that over time, his black eyes had changed to a rich chocolate-brown, encompassing more and more of the irises. They also learned of his sensitivity to temperature, so upgraded his lighting to incorporate a heat lamp, and often allowed him to wear a thin gown which kept the chill off, yet was easily removable.

Even more exciting, was that just as any child would, Logan lost his two rows of perfect baby teeth, and they were gradually replaced by a second set of larger white ones. More amazing still, was that his heart was beating completely on its own, pumping the blood that he could now maintain, through the workings of his internal organs.

Logan curiously peeked through his glass at the two scientists, eyes fearful and bottom lip pulled snugly between his large white teeth, as he watched them discuss him from afar.

"Is that right?" David asked, with a thoughtful look on his features. "When did he first start reacting this way?"

"Since this week," she muttered. "I want tests run on it, to see if we can gauge brain activity when it is subjected to increasingly painful procedures. It seems to be showing the beginning signs of fear and pain. Lets' see what its limits are," she said coldly.

David nodded, but in his opinion, the signs of fear and pain had been clear for some time.

x-x

Strapped to a cold hard table, Logan was trembling from cold and fear. The many figures in white lab coats were milling about, preparing the various instruments and syringes. He turned dark eyes to Linda who was studying him closely at the moment, with a look of eagerness in her steely eyes. He began to shake even more violently.

Suddenly, a gloved hand covered his and he looked up to see Marina's blue eyes, steady on his over her surgical mask. He curled his ice-cold fingers around hers. She was the only one who had ever shown any compassion whatsoever, for the small android boy.

Linda glowered when she noted the connection of the hands. Marina refused to have eye-contact with her, only keeping his. Blinding lamps were shone down on his pale body, and the pain began. Cold steel probes were inserted, and needles pierced his quivering flesh.

He held Marina's gaze throughout the lengthy procedure, not knowing that his own chocolate-brown eyes were clearly registering pain. Her blue eyes became startled, and she tightened her grip on the thin fingers. "Stop!" she cried.

"What is it, Marina?" Michael asked, freezing with the next metal probe poised over the nude male.

"It-it's in pain," she said in a shaky voice.

"Oh, it is not!" Linda snapped, leaning over the android boy, and looking him over more thoroughly.

The pain on his face was undeniable, contorting his full mouth, and making his small features look pinched. Both Michael and David looked shocked. Linda looked panic-stricken. She only wanted to seek answers.

"We must continue! It's just a reflexive response, that's all!" she insisted. That is when the tones of the pulse and heart monitors began to invade the room with the quickening rates. All sets of eyes turned to stare at the equipment, but no one dared challenge her further.

They continued to insert the long probes as the boy began to writhe in his restraints, chest heaving, and face twisted with pain. No one doubted at that moment that what they were doing was nothing short of torture and that they should have stopped. Instead, the team proceeded to poke, prod and inject the android boy lying in his agony, and helplessly at their mercy.

Once finished, Linda took the official lab journal and wrote 'Aged thirteen years, six months and five days: Sensing fear and showing some signs of discomfort'. Later, in her own personal journal, she would also add, right beneath the prior notation, "Aged thirteen years, six months and five days: fully experiencing pain". With a smug look of satisfaction upon her etched face, she also added, 'Becoming more difficult to handle'.

~flashback-sixteen years after conception~

"And so we were all able to get there in time and I didn't get fired on my first day." Marina chuckled as she remembered her first ever job she had gotten. She had got fired just three weeks later, but she didn't bother telling him that. The story was meant to be a happy one, so she kept it that way.

Logan watched her curiously as she talked. She didn't know if he understood her at all, but her aim was simply to try and calm his nerves. Just half an hour ago, the scientists and her fellow colleagues had performed a full body examination. There were no words to describe the torture that happened in those minutes in which the procedure took place. She couldn't stay in the room after seeing the android rendered unconscious from all the pain he had to endure. It was too painful for her to even watch it. She couldn't bear to think about the pain Logan had to go through.

So, that was why she was here, after hours, when only a few of the scientists were about the labs, working on other projects. She had opened a little slot in the incubator, though she wasn't meant to without a supervisor there and had pulled his pale hand out, holding it tightly. She often did this. She felt sorry for the small android that really, she saw as just a frightened little boy. The things they did to him were awful. And she didn't even know why they were doing them.

Marina's dream job would be a marine biologist. Like her name, she belonged near the sea. Anything from ocean plants to the animals that roamed the ocean floor, she loved and couldn't get enough of it. It had been her intention to get a job as close as possible to her aspiration, when she graduated from college. Unfortunately, Minnesota wasn't known for warm, sunny days that would make it perfect to go to the coast to investigate. She was aiming to someday, make the big move to Florida and live out her dream. But, hardly being long out of college herself, she didn't have the money to go. Her uncle was friends with Linda, the one in charge of everyone here and he had gotten her this job.

Initially, she had been working at the lab, just until she could pay her way to Florida. Just a few years and then she could be out of there and living the life she had always dreamed of. But then, she was asked to work on this new project. Project 33XY was top-secret and had been going for a several years already. She had been drafted as extra help, being deemed the only candidate responsible enough. She hadn't thought it would be something as big as it was. But, when she saw the small, pale android, that looked to be the size of an eight-year-old, even though it had been created ten years prior, she couldn't leave.

She was the only one who actually cared for Logan. David and Michael tried to help, but their hearts weren't struck with the same pain hers was, when she saw what was happening to the little robot. Over time, she developed an emotional attachment with Logan. He had been afraid of everyone, but the others hadn't spotted the fear for some time. She tried to show how she wasn't a threat, and that she would help him as best she could. Knowing she was the only person that Logan had to hold onto, her dream was put on hold for as long as Logan needed her.

She laughed some more as Logan poked his tongue out at her, something she had taught him a few months ago. Although the movement was still robotic, he got the idea of it. She returned the gesture and laughed some more. She was suddenly stopped when she heard some sort of sound. It sounded something in-between someone trying to clear their throat and a meeping sound. It took her a few minutes to register that the sound was coming from Logan. She looked at him questioningly, and when he pointed to her mouth she got what he was trying to do. Logan was trying to laugh. He had never actually said anything to anyone. Occasionally, he was able to make a whimpering sound or a low sound from his throat, but never had he spoken. The fact he was trying to laugh was progress.

She thought about writing it in the book, but then Linda would question her about why she had been there and no doubt put Logan through more painful procedures. She didn't want that, so she decided it would be their little secret. She was sympathetic as she saw Logan continue to attempt to laugh. He finally gave up and looked at her with a sad expression in his eyes. She saw the sheen in his eyes. He knew how to form the tears, but he wasn't able to release them yet.

"Shh." She whispered softly, squeezing the hand. She knew that he knew how different he was from normal people, and she also knew how much he hated this life. She brushed her hand through his silky-soft brown locks, and started singing. It was an Irish lullaby, her mother being of Irish decent, having sung it to her when she had nightmares as a child. She couldn't remember all the lyrics, but remembered enough for it to not matter. She stroked his hair until the dark orbs, became hooded by pale eyelids, and he was breathing deeply in sleep.

Marina didn't leave until very late that night, making sure that Logan wouldn't wake up scared and alone. She would have to think, but maybe there was something she could do to help the little android she had grown to love.

x-x

Sweet sixteen…at least for most boys his age. Logan was certainly sweet, docile and gentle, but it was far from a good year for the android boy. He looked about him, his face half-cast in the cold bluish light of the lab. His entire body ached from the experimentation he suffered at the hands of Linda and her team of scientists. Linda could almost taste the victory. Project 33XY had come a long way from the fragile form he'd been earlier.

His skin was now soft and supple, now a smooth ivory. His eyes were a vibrant cocoa brown, and always expressive. His hair grew thick and silky, now the deepest shade of brown. His body was still too thin, but it was taut with underlying muscle. He was notably a handsome replica of a teen-aged male. His intelligence was off the charts, and unbelievably, Logan had developed a sense of playfulness and humor.

Marina had played a game where she hid his snack and wanted him to guess where it was. Logan watched her carefully as she stood beside him, a small smile turning up her lips. "I don't know where it went, Logan. Hmmmm…do you know?"

His mouth turned up ever-so-slightly and he gave her an impish look. That is when she discovered the array of dimples in his cheeks. They complimented the deep cleft in his strong chin. He peeked around the incubator, lifting his sterile bedding. He searched around outside of the cube, the smile growing.

Suddenly he spun around and pointed to the hands clasped firmly behind her back. She laughed and showed him her empty hands. He wrinkled his smooth brow quizzically, then his face brightened. He pointed to the large bulging pocket hidden under her lab coat.

"You win, Logan!" she cried, pulling out the dried fruit for him. He smiled and happily took it from her, munching contentedly.

She watched him, her smile slowly fading as she thought about all that Logan had been through and all that he would. Since he had been able to eat solid foods in small amounts, Linda had decided to put him through yet another round of painful experimentation. She wanted to learn about every facet of his digestive processes. She couldn't bear to think about Logan having to go through the things that the leader had planned.

Now, as he sat enjoying her companionship as well as his dried apricots, he was just a regular boy. Marina would swear it in fact. Sure, he was gifted in many ways. He could calculate formulas that only a computer could otherwise solve. He could leap higher than an Olympic high jumper, and he could now heal when injured, as long as he was given the synthetic injections daily.

Since, learning of his ability to regenerate, Linda had put the poor young thing through unthinkable horrors. She had sliced at his flawless skin while he hissed in pain, only to document how long it took to heal. She would break his strong straight bones, to watch them rapidly heal back to their original state. All the while, Logan felt the pain that any sixteen year-old boy would, under the same circumstances.

Marina's heart broke a little more, each time she heard the grunts and whimpers coming from the boy, and saw the dazed look cross his eyes, first filled with hideous pain. She had trouble sleeping at night now, and all her waking hours she thought of the innocent android boy.

Linda was struggling to maintain the project that she had dedicated her life to. She feared that the boy, referred to as 'it', was about to lose his special abilities. He was almost becoming too human in her mind, and it frightened her. She was increasing the doses of synthetics, in hopes of halting the progress. That day, she planned to correct the problem once and for all.

She entered the lab, looking rather refreshed for her, and sporting a sinister smile. "Good morning, team!" she greeted.

The team murmured their return greetings and prepared themselves for her direction. Logan watched with fear in his eyes. He didn't like the demeanor she projected, and she was clearly setting up his bed of torture for something. The lab was bustling with activity, and Logan retreated into his corner, seeking his thumb for comfort. It was something he had occasionally done since conception, much to Linda's dismay.

She wasn't there to slap his hand away, so he sought its comfort. Marina finally glanced his way, and removed the thumb, perking up to hold her gaze. She did not smile, and Logan's stomach rolled. He was in trouble. She slowly made her way to him, reluctance in every step. She opened the lock, and door and gently held his hand.

It was trembling beneath her touch and his big brown orbs were questioning. "I'm so sorry, baby boy," she said affectionately. He swallowed, feeling a feeling he had never experienced before; utter panic and the desire to run and never stop, no matter who he had to hurt in the process.. His breathing escalated, and his heart pounded in his ears.

David and Michael came to carry the teen android to the table. He didn't bother to fight. He knew Linda would hurt him for it anyway, and he couldn't get far. He gave up looking at the locked doors of the high-security lab, and the few high windows, up high and out of his reach. Marina followed his train of thought, tuned in to the boy by now, and that is the moment she made her decision. She would find a way to set him free. Free from his pain and misery. She would find some way to help Logan escape the hell that he'd been trapped in for the past sixteen years. It was going to break her heart to lose him, but it would break her heart far worse to watch him be dismantled, piece by piece.

Logan found himself strapped nude to the cold hard table once more, the team of somber faces looking down on him. Linda stood at the foot of the table, a look of determination of her haggard face. "Let's kill him, and bring him back to life," she said calmly.

Thanks for reading our first chapter of Devoid. Please drop us a review to let us know if this interested you enough to continue. We would really appreciate it!

xoxox

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