The Traveler's

The Body

Sedona, Arizona was the destination. Dr. Parvet offered to pick David up at the airport but he preferred to have his own transportation. If this trip turned out to be a waste of time, he would want to make a hasty exit.

As David drove to the medical facility, he thought about his friend Jimmy Redbush. If he wasn't on the road, he would be in his home at the Window Rock in the Navajo Nation. It would take less than four hours to drive there. He made a mental note to call Redbush once he checked in to his hotel.

The medical building was smaller than he'd imagined. The single -story concrete building was surrounded by a tall fence. The only entrance was guarded by armed security. As David drove closer, he realized the guards were military.

The two soldiers walked toward his vehicle. One stood in front of the car with his hand on his side arm. The other approached the driver's window and leaned in close.

"State your business here, Sir." He barked.

"My name is Doctor David Dean. I was asked to come meet with Doctor Parvet. He's expecting me." David said, wincing at the scent of the soldier's lunch that now assaulted his sinuses.

"Remain in your vehicle and turn off the ignition." The soldier said as he lumbered away to the guard shack.

David watched as he picked up a clipboard and flipped to the second page. He scanned it until he found David's name on the roster then motioned to the second man who stepped aside and waved David forward.

David started the car and inched ahead. The soldier stopped him and said, "Park in the front of the building and follow the signs to the main entrance. Someone will meet you there."

"What the hell?" David muttered. "Why didn't this guy tell me that this was a military facility?"

David pulled the rental car in to a guest parking spot and walked to the main entrance. He pulled on the handle but the glass door didn't budge. He stepped back as he heard the buzzer inside and the doors slowly swung in his direction.

A chipper young woman in a lab coat bounced toward him. She held out her hand and he shook it.

"Dr. Dean, welcome. Dr. Parvet is expecting you. I'll need you to sign in at the desk and provide me with your identification. Then I'll escort you to Dr. Parvet's lab." She failed to introduce herself and David was certain that he would forget her name anyway so he chose not to ask.

Having provided his identification and signed in, David clipped the visitor pass to his lapel and followed the little woman down a long corridor.

She stopped to enter a passcode at a set of glass security doors. He watched the motion of her hand and set the code to memory, just in case.

A few more steps and finally, they were entering Parvet's laboratory. The space was divided into two rooms separated by a glass partition.

The first appeared to be part office, part lab with a messy computer station in the corner and a granite topped workstation in the middle of the room.

The second room was cold and sterile. There was an exam table in the center of the room. The back wall was an assembly of stainless steel doors, cold storage David imagined.

Dr. Parvet was in the second room and motioned for David to join him.

"I'll leave you now." The little woman said, turning to make a hasty exit.

David entered the examination room and was nearly pounced upon by Parvet. He was a smaller man of Indian decent. Judging by the dark rings under his eyes, he hadn't slept since his recent discovery.