Leona Mills

Leona Mills
Portrayed by	Carri Wagner
First appearance	The Recruit, Part 5
In-story stats
Known ability	Life force absorption
Alias	Linda Niles
Gender
Home	Newport, RI; Calabasas, CA
Occupations	Member of LAWR, Founder & Leader of "Ellen", Circus performer (cover), Former-Shipping company head
Significant other	Unnamed man (deceased)
Child	Rachel Mills

Leona Mills is the mother of Rachel Mills. She is an evolved human with the ability to absorb life-force.

About

Leona is a childhood friend of Angela Petrelli; and so was associated with The Company's dealings even following its apparent disintegration. Leona had only one child; Rachel, who she was very close to. When Leona's ability manifested, she couldn't handle the knowledge and was said to have committed suicide. In truth, Leona faked her death (possibly with Angela's help) and abandoned her daughter to be raised by her grandparents. Leona, meanwhile, lived alone in a comfortable lifestyle as head of her own shipping company; until Rebel contacted and blackmailed her into joined LAWR and using her resources to create a fugitive-smuggling ring operation crew for saving and protecting fellow evolved humans when they started facing persecution from the Department of Homeland Security; code-named "Ellen" (or "LN" - for the alias Leona was going under; "Linda Niles").

Character History

Webisode:The Recruit, Part 4

Angela asks Rachel if she was close with her mother, to which Rachel replies that her mother committed suicide. Angela says that she knew Leona, and that she was there the day Leona discovered her ability. However, Angela continues that Leona was afraid of her ability and didn't want to accept it, so she killed herself.

Webisode:The Recruit, Part 5

After Rachel is taken away, Angela calls Leona, who is alive and well, saying that "it's been a long time."

Heroes Evolutions

The Private

In chapter 2 of The Private, Rachel Mills is asked about her mother by one of her captors while held prisoner in Iran.

The Agent

In chapter 2 of The Agent, Rachel Mills has a nightmare where she attends her mother's funeral as a young girl. She walks up the aisle to her mother's casket, and notices that it is closed. She tries to open it, and succeeds in raising it an inch a few times, but it always drops back shut as if something is holding it closed. Rachel then whispers, "Please, Mom", and a blue arm snakes out of the casket and grabs her wrist.

In chapter 4 of The Agent, Jason tells Rachel he heard her talk about her mother in her dream the past night.

In chapter 5 of The Agent, Rachel again experiences a couple dreams involving her mother among several dream flashes. In one dream, Rachel is inside a building and says hello to her mother. In another, Rachel sees a woman talk on the phone with her mother. The woman says that was the end, apologizes, and says she is sure it was Rachel. She then tells Rachel's mother that she knows something, says goodbye, and hangs up.

In chapter 9 of The Agent, Rebel offers Rachel information about her mother in exchange for Rachel's help with rescuing a Building 26 prisoner. Anna Korolenko sees a shape that looks to her like a rotting body, with eyes and mouth all caved-in, rising out of a coffin in the back tent of a circus. A short while later, the body has disappeared back into the coffin and Anna tells everyone in the tent that they need to flee before the government captures them. However, a raspy voice from the coffin says they can't. The voice is coming from the "thing" Anna screamed at earlier, which sits up again now. Its hollow eyes glance at Anna, then it reaches out a hand and grabs a chair. Doug calls the thing in the coffin Linda, and tells her not to use his chair. However, Linda appears to ignore him and the chair begins to age, turning black and finally collapsing into dust. As this occurs, Linda becomes a young woman and she tells Anna that they can't leave until the twin is safe, or else Ellen and everything else they have worked for will be lost. Some time later, Linda huddles with Anna and the other circus performers in the dark. She and everyone else freeze as they spot lots of people moving around quietly outside.

In chapter 10 of The Agent, Rachel agrees to Rebel's deal and rescues the prisoner as Rebel asked. Rebel contacts Rachel the next morning, but tells her about something else other than her mother.

The previous night, Linda, Anna, and the other circus staff hide in a cellar underneath the circus while agents search above them. Linda sits closest to Anna Korolenko, but has not talked much since they entered the place. Some time later, Linda starts a conversation with Anna and explains that she is part of LAWR and that "Ellen" is the underground railroad Rebel started with her help. Linda explains that "Ellen" started as just her, LN, because she used to run a shipping company. She continues that Rebel contacted her, and had knowledge about her past. Rebel asked Linda to hide fugitives in warehouses and trucks across the country.

Linda adds that next, Rebel contacted Anna to be the "delivery girl"--a cute blonde that every frightened fugitive would trust. Then, she notes that Rebel found Valerie and has Valerie demonstrate the ability that Valerie and her brother possess. Linda explains that Victor and Valerie can transfer anything up to person-size and that she has seen them pass a whole family from Pennsylvania to California in thirty seconds. She adds that their ability really beats trucking, but that they get irritable if kept apart for too long.

Linda also explains that Rachel Mills is the R in LAWR, but that Rachel will not be joining them due to a deal that has been made with her. When Anna says Rebel wouldn't let the agents hurt them, Linda points out that they are not his only crew, and that Anna might join the "varsity team" someday if she eats her Wheaties. Linda then apologizes and becomes quiet.

After Anna has another conversation with Rebel, Linda asks her what Rebel said. When Anna claims that Rachel will come, Linda asks if Rebel said that. After Anna replies that Rebel didn't but she is still certain, Linda becomes silent. Anna then notices some changes in Linda, including that age-lines begin deepening in her face, making her suddenly appear to be middle-aged. Then, Linda tells everyone to get up and says they are getting out of there.

In chapter 11 of The Agent,

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Notes

• NBC.com's character reference for Rachel Mills notes that Rachel was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Calabasas, California. She was raised solely by Leona, until Rachel was twelve and Leona committed suicide.
• NBC.com's character reference for Rachel Mills also notes Leona's last name was Mills at the time she had supposedly committed suicide. The introduction for chapter 10 of The Agent also refers to Rachel's mother as "Leona Mills". However, it is unknown as to whether that is still her last name.
• In an interview, writers Jim Martin and Timm Keppler confirmed that Rachel's power is natural and that it was inherited from Leona.