Irina Spasky



Irina Nikolaievna Spaskya, usually called Irina Spasky, or Irina Spazzky by Dan Cahill, was an ex-KGB spy and she formed one of the teams in the hunt for The 39 Clues. She was in an alliance with Isabel Kabra, who risked her life saving Amy, Dan, and Alistair in a fire in Book 6.

Life
Irina Nikolaievna Spaskaya (1962–2008) was an expert KGB agent in Russia. She was part of the Lucian Branch, a heritage she was unaware of until she met Vikram Kabra. They told her and the branches.

She lived in St. Petersburg most of her life. In high school, she was an expert pole vaulter and was said to have won several medals, one of which her son kept with him at all times. When she was 16, she was accepted into the KGB and stayed with them until the end of the Cold War.

She had a son named Nikolai Spassky, whose father was Nivalona Spassky, who was killed by the Kabras because he was in the line to become the Lucian Branch head. Nikolai became very sick when he was 9. The doctor (and Irina) never left his side. Isabel Kabra, being as cruel as she could be, forced Irina to Helsinki, Finland, on a mission. She could make no contact with Nikolai or Anna, the neighbour who watched over him. She didn't get Anna's frequent calls or the doctor's devastating final call. Nikolai died before Irina returned home.

Spaskaya wrote in her final testament that she wished to donate all of her possessions, should she die unexpectedly, to the St. Petersburg Children's Theatre, for all the happiness it brought to her son.

Irina became even more ruthless after that. The death of Nikolai changed her. She got a twitch in her left eye, which gave her the unknown nickname "Spaz," which relatives called her behind her back. When Grace Cahill died, she attended the funeral and was invited to her reading (only a few were invited to this) to learn about the clue hunt. Some people (the Kabras, Amy and Dan Cahill, Alistair Oh, and Irina herself, among others) accepted the challenge.

As ruthless as Irina was, she eventually began to care for Amy and Dan. And noticed that Grace was kind to her, something she hardly did to others. She saved their lives.. and gave up her own. In Too Deep, the home they were staying in caught on fire. Irina saved their lives by vaulting herself onto the roof with a pole. Amy, Dan, and Alistair (who was there) slid down it, and it broke. Amy and Dan tried to save her; they looked for something like another pole. They failed. The roof collapsed from under her. She looked up as it did so, wanting her last sight to be the stars.

Family

 * Nikolai Spasky - Son (deceased, Irina left all her objects to him in her will, but then changed it to the St Petersburg Children's Theatre for 'bringing so much joy to him.')
 * Nikilovana Spasky - Husband (deceased)

Appearance and Personality
Irina spoke with a Russian accent, and sometimes slipped Russian words into her speech when she was upset. Her left eye twitched when she was nervous or under emotional stress ever since the death of her son Nikolai. Also, Irina loved poisons, and even had poison fingernails. She was called Spaz behind her back.

Plot Overview
Beware of Spoilers!

The Maze Of Bones
In book one, Irina appears first at the will reading, then making an alliance with Ian and Natalie Kabra. She then has Amy and Dan follow her into a trap but the Holts interfere with there own plans for the kids. She then appears working with Alistair at the church in the end of the book.

One False Note
Irina walks into Dan and Amy's hotel room asking for what they stole from Jonah Wizard's room in exchange for getting Nellie out of jail. Dan tells her it was the Jonah Wizard kung fu action figure, and double-crosses her. However, Irina was also planning to fool them, because Nellie was never put in jail & came back 5 minutes later

The Sword Thief
Irina's only appearance in this book is when she is first seen to have knocked out a lady at the airport. She disguises herself as the flight attendant she knocked out to get the Kabras on board the plane to Japan in Dan and Amy's place.

Beyond The Grave
She tries to poison Dan with her fingernails before Amy stops her She is seen trapped inside a tomb with Amy and Dan. At one point she watched Dan and Amy exit, enter and look in the temple. She also makes a deal with Theo Cotter for the golden Sakhet. During the book, you find out that she has lost a child and that she has a fear of clowns.

The Black Circle
In the fifth book, she appears to be chasing Amy and Dan, under orders of Isabel Kabra. In this book she is trying to protect old secrets. She makes an alliance with the Kabras while Dan and Amy work with the Holts. She watches the kids from outside a palace in Moscow. She tails them all over Russia. Finally she finds them in a cafe and asks who they're working with. They respond "nobody." She then appears in the Lucian Black Circle asking what Dan and Amy stole. Then two Lucian's walk in and ask for Dan and Amy to be killed. Irina is just about to kill them when Madrigals show up. While she is fighting Dan and Amy flee the scene

In Too Deep
In sixth book, Irina appears to be quite scared about the sudden appearance of Isabel Kabra, joining the hunt for the clues. She also has many flashbacks of her son. She tries to warn Amy about Isabel's trap, and also gives Amy a Madrigal clue, Rosemary. She then appears at the airport in Darwin, Australia. She tries to warn Amy that Isabel has set up a trap. When they sneak away, she doesn't do anything to stop them, but instead waves them good-bye. She then tries to silence Ian and Natalie but Natalie stops her. She then appears at the fire in the end of the book. She comes with a bamboo stick for Dan, Amy, and Alistair to swing down. She jumps onto the roof, and lets them slid down the bamboo. The bamboo stick catches on fire, leaving her stuck on the roof. She then has more flashbacks of her son. Then the roof collapses. She looks up at the sky, wishing for her last sight to be the stars.

Talents

 * Irina was very adept at espionage, sneaking up on people, and incapacitating others.
 * She had an extreme love of poisons.
 * Irina was good with codes, being a Lucian, and is naturally wary of people and a great spy.

Online
She has multiple cards with featuring her.

Cards
Irina's main cards are Card 74 and Card 107.

Irina's Alliances
See main article: Irina's Alliances

Poison Needles
Irina has needles loaded with poison under her fingernails. When she bends back her finger at the first joint, they extend. When pricked, the prick is near invisible and causes only a light, pinprick sensation.

The poison might take up to eight hours to show symptoms. It may make the victim very sick, or even paralyzed, but only for a few days.

According to the 39 Clues website (on the Ekat database), the poison might even be lethal, as it has a picture of her with her needles outstretched with the caption "The photographer was never seen again."

Trivia

 * It is possible that Irina was a Lucian double agent, because she sacrificed her own life for Amy, Dan, & Alistair's.
 * This theory is backed up by the fact that Irina gave Amy the Clue Rosemary and said that she was doing it for her branch.
 * She was allied with Isabel Kabra, which one of the reasons she allied with Ian & Natalie so frequently.
 * The other reason was that both teams had only Lucians in them.