Bad Faith (audio story)

Bad Faith is the second episode in Vienna: Series One, produced by Big Finish Productions. It starred Chase Masterson as Vienna Salvatori.

Synopsis
Vienna Salvatori has seen the light.

Time was, if you lost everything, at least you still had your faith – but not any more. Faith stealing is the latest commodity to light up the criminal underworld – extract somebody’s faith and sell it to the highest bidder.

On the trail of a faith stealing ring, Vienna Salvatori comes into the orbit of the charismatic Bax Spendlove, spiritual leader of the Church of New Wonderment, a breakaway sect of the Church of Old Wonderment. Bax has an important mission for his latest convert – and Vienna is a willing disciple.

But when Bax’s followers start to be murdered, it seems Vienna isn’t the only killer keeping the faith&hellip;

Plot
A Kreyfin approaches and asks a Sargeant Lane for the whereabouts of a 'vertibrate'. Lane informs it that they cornered the assassin on the north passage of the Karnon Rocks, and that she is believed to be wounded. The Kreyfin congratulates Lane on his successful work. The Kreyfin orders him to locate the assassin and keep her found entering the compound. Lane turns to his soldier and orders them back to base. The female soldier asks him to lead the way as she is feeling lost on Karnos Delta. Lane understands, stating that Karnos Delta is 'mountains and crators as far as the eye can see'.

Lane informs his soldier that the assassin's mission is to infiltrate the compound and shut down all Kreyfin operations. He orders three soldiers, over the comms, to enter a defensive position around the compound as the assassin is on her way. His soldiers do not respond. Thinking aloud, the soldier suggests the idea that the assassin killed the three soldiers, infiltrated her way into the ranks and kept Lane alive just to find out whether or not the whole operation was a trap. Getting a little uneasy, Lane asks her why he can't remember her name. She points out that that's due to her not having time to program an alias into the hypno leech attached to his neck. She informs him that her name is Vienna Salvatori. She then shoots him dead.

Approaching the compound, a Kreyfin soldier asks her to place her right hand on an activation panel. Vienna uses the hand of Lane to open the door, and walks inside. Meanwhile one Kreyfin is getting very panicky about Vienna's whereabouts. Another calms him. A caged man named Mylo, from the Society of Euphoric Happiness, offers Vienna his very limited help. Vienna realises that she is in the middle of a faith stealing operation. She explains to Mylo that his very faith and that of all the other prisoners is being stolen from them and sold off to the rich. A Kreyfin warns Vienna to leave over the intercom but true Vienna style, she warns them that she's coming for them.

Vienna blasts through the door and demands the name of the person who is running the operation from the Kreyfin inside. To her surprise, the two Kreyfin inside simply explode all over her. Back at her ship, she asks her computer to analyse the Kreyfin residue that she accumulated. The computer explains that due to the compound being several thousand feet above sea level, her act of opening the door depressurised the room and caused them to explode, thus making their deaths her own fault. This confuses Vienna, who points out that someone practically has done her job for her and has then paid her for it.

Vienna visits the New Church of Wonderment where she is welcomed by Miss Lily Trick. Vienna states that she wishes to report a miracle. She states that despite having just killed people on Karnos Delta, she was suddenly filled with love for the New Church of Wonderment and the 'devine Arno Goodfellow', despite never having thought about him before. She remembers being back on the ship and praying to Arno Goodfellow to protect those upon Karnos Delta. The computer then interrupts her prayer to suggest that her new faith may be an infection, to which Vienna responds in a very prickly manner. When the computer demands a brain scan to check for infection, Vienna forces an update in line with her new beliefs. Vienna then watches her new hologram message by a Bax Spendlove, who invites her to Ironimus Six so that he can tell her what Arlo has planned for her.

After finishing her explanation to Lily Trick, Trick refuses her an audience with Bax Spendlove. Impatient, Vienna shows Lily Trick the true miracle - the stigmata of Arno Goodfellow, the founder of the New Church of Wonderment. This forces Trick to offer her an upgrade to a Grade 1 Miracle. Bax then rings Lily and asks that Vienna bypasses the examination process and simply enters her meeting with Bax. Finally meeting with Bax and verifying the stigmata, Vienna reveals to him her name and previous occupation. He then rings up Kendra Spendlove, his wife, and asks her to join them. When Kendra enters, Bax explains that Kendra was once a member of the Old Church of Wonderment before meeting Bax and seeing the 'true path'. Kendra explains that despite the current seperation of churches, that both churches would be stronger as one. Bax explains that Kendra is venturing to the Phantom Deserts of Osuri to meet with Parsival, the head of the Old Church. Bax asks Vienna to use her skillset wisely and accompany his wife on her journey, much to Kendra's dismay. Kendra states that 'Mr. Clancy', their inter-faith adviser, wouldn't allow it.

As Bax and Kendra argue over the issue, they soon learn that Mr. Clancy has been stabbed to death with a grudge knife, which enters the body, deposits micro-drones into the veins that detonate when they hit a vital organ. On the wall, in Clancy's blood, is written a message. Vienna explains that you can program the blood spatter to form a very specific pattern. In this case, it is a message reading: 'The Old Church will destroy all from within'. Bax seems to think that it is part of Parsival's scheme to destroy the New Church from the inside. Bax stubbornly states that due to Vienna having acquired more knowledge on the murders than the police have ever managed, that she will join Kendra on her mission to find the truth. Vienna decides to ask Lily how long she knew that Clancy was dead. She notes that despite using the intercom to attempt to contact Clancy, she didn't give him enough time to respond before checking up on him. When Lily protests her innocence, she suggests that perhaps she could take a memory scan. With the memory scan, she notes Lily walking in on Clancy being brutally murdered by a nine foot demon in armour, riding a horse. She explains that she is wearing miracle lenses, which reinterpret everything the wearer sees back as a miracle whilst also filtering out things that may cause the wearer to question their beliefs. Due to the lenses being forbidden, Bax scolds her and sends her to the confessional booth to reflect upon her actions. Bax then asks Vienna to remove Parsival from his position, thus turning people to the New Church, to which she agrees.

Cast

 * Vienna Salvatori - Chase Masterson
 * Bax Spendlove - Frazer Hines
 * Kendra Spendlove - Rachel Atkins
 * Sargeant Lane - ?
 * Kreyfin - Mike Grady
 * Mylo - ?
 * Lily Trick - ?

Food and beverage

 * Vienna, posing as a soldier, notes that the inside of her helmet smells like sushi.

Religion

 * Arno Goodfellow, the founder of the New Church of Wonderment, nailed himself by his right hand to the steeple of the Church of Wonderment so that the soldiers could not reach him. He hung there for seven days and seven nights. Once the soldiers burnt down the church, Goodfellow died. The mark from his right hand, known as the stigmata, will only appear on the chosen. Vienna received such a mark.
 * The New Church of Wonderment split from the Old Church of Wonderment roughly eight centuries ago due to differing interpretations.

Species

 * The Kreyfin are referred to as the 'Lobster Mobsters'.
 * Lane informs Vienna that it is against his religion to serve the Kreyfin.
 * Vienna uses a hypno leech to make Lane believe her credentials as a soldier.
 * Vienna states that Mylo is being milked like a Three Horned Quench.

Technology

 * The soldiers use Beta 3s to communicate with one-another.
 * Kendra Spendlove has appeared in 'docuvertisements' and is known to Vienna.
 * Mr. Clancy is murdered with a grudge knife.
 * Lily is wearing miracle lenses.

Continuity

 * Vienna states that her assignment crystal "got it all wrong". (AUDIO: The Memory Box et al)
 * Vienna sticks to her main rule and is forced to shoot Lane dead when he learns her name. (AUDIO: The Memory Box et al)
 * When Lily protests her innocence regarding the murder of Mr. Clancy, Vienna suggests that perhaps she should take a memory scan. (AUDIO: The Memory Box et al)