Doctor Who_ History 101 - Mags L. Halliday [0]
History 101
by Mags L. Halliday
‘Remarkable. I’m surprised at how much has been uncovered.’
– Anji Kapoor
Spain, 1937. In April, the small town of Guernica was razed to the ground in a firestorm that claimed a thousand or more lives. In May, Barcelona exploded into fierce street fighting as different political factions fought for control of the city.
Both events have been the subject of fierce propagandist claims by all sides, but this book examines new evidence to suggest that the two events are more closely linked than previously thought.
Who were the shadowy figures working behind the scenes? Who were ‘the Doctor’, ‘Anji’ and ‘Fitz’ and what was their objectives? And were there really monsters roaming the streets?
Presented in the form of a novel, History 101 tries to discover if the absolute truth can ever be revealed. It should be read as part of the ongoing ‘Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor’ history course.
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Contents
Prologue - Barcelona 1937
Part One - Course Introduction
Chapter One - Coneixeu El Vostres Drets
Chapter Two - Una Casa Europea Segura
Chapter Three - Algù Fou Assasinat
Chapter Four - Am La Polìcia A L’Esquena
Part Two - Material Research
Chapter Five - Estada Lliure
Chapter Six - Bombes Espanyoles
Chapter Seven - Odiós
Chapter Eight - Treballar Pel Control De La Situaciò
Part Three - Theories and Conclusions
Chapter Nine - Pistoles En El Sostre
Chapter Ten - El Detingut
Chapter Eleven - Jo Veure La Llei
Chapter Twelve - La Ciutat Dels Morts
Chapter Thirteen - La Darrera Banda De La Ciutat
Epilogue
Selected Bibliography
Recommended Viewing
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Credits
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To Phyllis Ford Halliday for the storytelling and Donald Geoffrey Halliday for the bibliophile tendencies.
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‘We carry a new world in our hearts.’
– Buenaventura Durruti
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Prologue
Barcelona 1937
It was a chilly spring morning and the clock was striking thirteen. It had been hit by a stray bullet in the initial fighting the previous year and now ran to its own internal theory of time. Sabbath found it amusingly appropriate.
His Agent was late. Only by a few minutes, it was true, and Sabbath was not terribly concerned about the whys or wherefores of the lateness. He was concerned that matters here were resolved to his own satisfaction and for that he needed a reliable Agent. One who showed up for meetings on time.
The café owner’s daughter came over to remove his empty plate and he smiled at her.
‘Molt bé, comrade, molt bé.’
Alicia nodded and went back to her position leaning on the rear counter of the bar, leaving him alone with the carafe of water and the erratic ticking of the clock. He leaned back in the battered wicker chair, letting it creak under his weight, and let his eyes wander over the copy of La Batalla in his hands. Through the open doors to the square the sunlight was starting to warm the city. The Drassanes were sullenly silent: what cargoes made it through the blockades were offloaded at night, slipping quietly into the black market or the hands of racketeers and gunrunners.
‘Sorry I’m late.’
The young man was sitting down next to Sabbath, glancing about quickly at the doorways as he dropped his wire-frame glasses into one of the outer pockets of his leather jacket, making sure his eyes adjusted to the dim interior of the café. Sabbath folded up the newspaper he hadn’t been reading and frowned at the new arrival.
‘Ah, my dear fellow, there you are.’
His Agent looked back calmly, his mouth barely twitching, apparently unfazed by Sabbath’s disapproving glare. Good, he needed someone with equanimity for this. He raised his voice, let it roll out at its natural volume.
‘Alicia – could we have some coffee?’
The owner’s daughter, who had come a little closer when the newcomer had sat down, disappeared behind the bar to brew two cafés sólos. Sabbath knew she knew some kind of meeting was going on, but the Café en Balena was paid enough in cheap French wine not to pay attention to whom Sabbath might meet with,