They have no vocal cords. That was a design decision.

In 2079, bio-tech leader GeneTech grows its farm labor in pods. Built from the genes of bonobos, octopuses and ferns, they have four tentacles and eyes designed for working in the dark. The company calls them products.

Buzz White guards them. When the order comes down to "retire" Lot 18A during his shift, he walks them out to the field like nothing's different.

Later, patrolling past the trench filled with their lifeless bodies, he finds one set of footprints leading away.

The Gene Pool series starts here.