Doctor Who_ History 101 - Mags L. Halliday [43]
Clamping the thin smoke in his lips, the Russian got up slowly and walked, slightly crouched, into the main bed of the truck. He started moving things about, although all Fitz could hear were crates being dragged across. Was the Soviet right? Even if he didn’t get involved, wasn’t his mere presence here altering things? People acted differently if they thought they were being watched. No, it didn’t change things. It didn’t matter how he got to Guernica, he would see what had happened there. His presence couldn’t affect unaware bombers who even now must be preparing for their raid. Fitz turned to point out that the big events wouldn’t be affected and surprised himself by yawning.
‘Lock the gate up,’ Sasha said from the depths of the truck. Fitz pulled his legs up and dragged the tailgate up behind him, rattling the bolts in to hold it closed. He picked up the oil lantern carefully and held it away from his face so he wasn’t blinded by it. Moving back, he found the crates stacked to form an enclosed space. Sasha was putting down the last of the empty bread sacks on the floor, padding it slightly.
‘There’s blankets in that crate next to you,’ he said.
‘Oh, now you mention it!’
Fitz balanced the lamp on the floor and pulled out two itchy army blankets. Settling on the burlap, he loosened the laces on his boots and pulled his coat tight before wrapping the blanket around him. He was amazed to realise he was already half asleep.
* * *
Anji started on the fresh copies of the newswires Eleana had dropped in to her. This was the information before it was written up into news reports, if it was written up at all. Anji got them days after they had been received, taken from the wastebin at La Batalla where they had been thrown once they had been dealt with. Eleana didn’t get them all, she couldn’t have asked to take them without arousing more curiosity than she would agree to. They were enough, though, to give Anji more points on her map. She also got to see just how much the stories that were written up were adjusted to suit the stance of the paper. That made her wonder how much else of what she was reading had been spun to suit propagandist needs. Over the course of the three months, she had seen the different papers drift further away from each other, each pursuing their own agenda.
It was one reason why she spent half of her time visiting the sites of intriguing reports, trying to find eyewitnesses who would give her a direct account. She could see now why the Doctor had wanted Fitz to go to Guernica, although she still worried. It would be months before he got here. Assuming he did. She started on the wires, making notes quickly. Eleana had gone to an editorial meeting, but had agreed to come back later and do a few sites with her.
There was a knock at the door. Anji took the pen from her mouth and called over, not bothering to rise from the bed. ‘Who is it?’
‘Me.’
Anji groaned as she rolled off the bed and on to her feet. What made people think that was a funny answer? She unlocked and opened the door. He was stood on the other side, his hands in the pockets of his trousers and his eyes watching his shoe scuff the threadbare carpet, deliberately casual. Unshaven.
‘Hola, Anji.’
‘Jueves! You’re back! Come in.’ She stepped back to let him enter. He looked tired, and still had his pack on his shoulders. He dropped it by the side of the door. Anji fussed about, trying to tidy up the papers on her bed whilst he whistled at the new stack of papers.
‘You’ve been busy.’
‘Yes, well, I’ve not got much further though.’
‘I’ve brought you papers from Madrid. There isn’t the same level of events as you have here.’
Jueves sat tentatively on the space she had cleared on the bed and Anji caught him watching her as she finished sorting the piles of work. She felt self-conscious, suddenly, and pushed her hair behind her ears. Outwardly calm, always. The hair slipped free again, swinging