Dave Speminer

Damien Vesper III (a.k.a Dave Speminer) was the main antagonist of the Cahill vs Vespers series. He was Vesper One, the leader of the Vespers, and the Vesper with the highest authority in the Vesper Council of Six. His job was to give directions to the other Vespers and to execute all plans. His official identity and background was revealed in Day of Doom.

He used the alias "Dave Speminer", which is an anagram of his real name, to become the assistant of Astrid Rosenbloom and in the first five books of the second series. He eventually killed Astrid by poisoning her. A year later, he put his plan to destroy the world into action. Taking seven hostages from the Cahill Family, who he blamed for the downfall of his own family, he manipulated Amy and Dan Cahill into stealing many objects that he would use to activate the Doomsday Device, a machine meant to manipulate the weather and cause natural disasters to destroy the planet. He used force and hostile means to achieve this goal, such as ordering his men to kill Alistair Oh. Although he got all of the objects that he needed and nearly activated the device, his own second-in-command, Isabel Vesper-Hollingsworth Kabra (Vesper Two), as revenge against Damien killing her daughter, attacked him just before he could activate the Doomsday Device. The device ultimately killed both Damien and Isabel, by sucking them into it (they got too close to it while battling) and disintegrating them. Damien was the most powerful and deadly villain who the Cahills ever faced, being directly responsible for the deaths of Alistair Oh, Evan Tolliver, and Natalie Kabra. His motive was most likely the downfall of his family, which he blamed on the Cahills; it is suggested that since his family fell from grace as a result of Gideon Cahill's battle with the first Damien Vesper, he decided to have his revenge by destroying the world.

Contents

 * 1 Appearances
 * 1.1 Preparing for War
 * 1.2 The Medusa Plot
 * 1.3 A King's Ransom
 * 1.4 The Dead of Night
 * 1.5 Shatterproof
 * 1.6 Trust No One
 * 1.7 Day of Doom
 * 2 Aliases
 * 3 Trivia

Preparing for War
During the Clue Hunt, Damien ordered the Watcher to monitor several Cahill children participating in the Clue Hunt. After the hunt ends, Damien is able to convince Sinead Starling to join the Vespers.

The Medusa Plot
Damien delivers a super secure phone toAmy and Dan via helicopter and gives them their assignment: If they don't follow his instructions, one of the hostages will die. He has been leaving them messages throughout the book about their assignments. In the end of the book, he appears as a taxi driver near Amy (but she doesn't know that).

 A King's Ransom
Damien asked Amy and Dan to steal the de Virga Mappa Mundi. He sends a text to Cheyenne Wyoming, saying that she failed her mission and would be kicked out "permanemente, cara" if she failed again. He took the de Virga and the Il Milione, after Amy and Dan found the de Virga Mappa Mundi. He then sent a text to Amy and Dan saying that they should have told him that they had the Il Milione, and their consequences are this: one Guardian goes down: Dan's best friend, Atticus.

The Dead of Night
Damien asked Amy and Dan to find a stale orb which is an anagram for an astrolabe, a device to measure the stars. He is supposedly at the drop off again, and is seen blowing kisses (in mockery) at them. The code on Card 283: Robot Spider said "Riley McGrath", which is one of the aliases of Damien.

Shatterproof
Damien asked Amy and Dan to steal the Jubilee diamond from the Museum. He met up with the hostages when they escaped in ''Shatterproof to recapture them (though it was unknown to the hostages that he was there to recapture them). He used the alias "Martin Holds" and told them they were in Germany, in the Black Forest, and then when the Vespers arrive, he fakes his death.''

Trust No One
Damien visited Atticus, Jake, Amy and Dan at the building where the Voynich rested. He offers to buy them meals. Later, he is mentioned when Ted told Nellie that he recognized Martin Holds' voice as Riley McGrath's (though it was unknown to Ted that Riley and Martin were the same person). He later sent a dog to take Folio 74 of the Voynich and Gideon's ring to complete the Machina Fini Mundi.

Day of Doom
Damien addresses Amy and Dan through a video and informs them that all the hostages are not going to be freed. He then rides a plane in turbulent weather and heads off to the Cascades. Then, through his super secure phone,Damien instructs his men to kill Isabel Kabra. He then promotes Sandy Bancroft to Vesper Two.

Damien shoots Fiske in the shoulder and Evan fatally in the chest. Damien turns on the electromagnetic shield of the Machina Fini Mundi and electrocutes Natalie, but gets shoved into Machina Fini Mundi by Isabel Kabra, his former "second in command" in revenge against killing her daughter, and gets melted into the machine and gets incinerated along with her.

Aliases
He used the second most alias in the Cahills vs. Vespers series, having a total of three:


 * Riley McGrath


 * Martin Holds


 * Dave Speminer

Trivia

 * He can speak Latin and Greek fluently.
 * He is of Irish origin.
 * He is afraid of water and boats.
 * He is skilled at playing the oboe.
 * If you compare to Card 246 and Card 427, you'll notice the resemblance between him and Arthur Trent, Amy and Dan's father, though he looks much younger than Amy and Dan's father.
 * He has a burn on his right hand, which is noticeable on the card. The burn is healed, but it still occasionally itches. Damien feels that the urge to scratch it is merely psychological, especially when other lower-ranking Vespers failed him. He considered the scar a 'badge of honor'.
 * He murdered Astrid Rosenbloom, under the pretense of working with her as her assistant, while actually slowly poisoning her to death.
 * He once won a chilli cook-off.
 * He studied abroad in Prague and Dublin.
 * He bumps into Amy, Dan, Atticus, and Jake at Yale University, but he doesn't harm them.
 * His father's name was also Damien Vesper, just like him and was probably named 'Damien Vesper II'. It would be presumed that his father was the Vesper One that "died a few years ago" as mentioned in the Medusa Plot.
 * Since he was named Damien Vesper III, therefore only him, his father and his ancestor ever bore the name of Damien Vesper.
 * Damien became Vesper One at 23, succeeding his father one year before the Clue hunt, meaning that by the time of his confrontation with the Cahills, he was 26.
 * He had his own personal retreat which was built to mirror King Louis XVI's private chamber. Damien often spent his time in the retreat brooding, thinking and plotting.
 * Under normal circumstances (until introducing himself to the Cahills), Damien's identity was known only to the Council of Six, with the exception of Casper Wyoming who was kicked out from the position of Vesper Six.
 * Damien Vesper III was technically the most successful Vesper among all his ancestors, including the original Damien Vesper, since he managed to build and activate (partially) the Machina Fini Mundi, and impose his will on the planet (turning the sky into a strange color, making unpredictable winds and haywiring the magnetic fields on earth). It was a feat that none of his ancestors were able to accomplish.
 * Damien Vesper III loathed disloyalty within his ranks, and was very intolerable towards it. In one occasion, he was quick to give the order to Vesper Four to kill Cheyenne and Casper Wyoming when he got wind of the news that they were plotting against him. However, he did not give an order to kill Isabel Kabra (she was not loyal to him), until Day of Doom.
 * He always wears a beanie.