"Is my speech in the program?"
"Sure is, Roy. A slick one, too. Makes two speeches of yours blasted in a single day."
"Send me a transcript of my speech before it goes on the air," Walton said. "I want to read and approve that thing if it's supposed to be coming out of my mouth."
"It's a natural, Roy. You don't have to worry."
"I want to read it beforehand!" Walton snapped.
"Okay, okay. Don't chew my ears off. I'll ship it to you posthaste, man. Ease up. Pop a pill. You aren't loose, Roy."
"I can't afford to be," Walton said.
He broke contact and almost instantly the next call blossomed on the screen. Walton recognized the man as one of the technicians from communications, floor twenty-three.
"Well?"
"We heard from McLeod again, sir. Message came in half an hour ago and we've been trying to reach you ever since."