Orson Mills is a supporting character during the mission, Nightcall in HITMAN™ 2, a significant character in Shadows in the Water, and a minor character in Untouchable during HITMAN™ III.
In-universe, Orson is seen as one of the best in his line of work, and is widely respected by his colleagues.
Background[]
Orson Mills is an ex-CICADA mercenary who began working for the "Shadow Client", Lucas Grey, and his private militia's Spec Ops team as a point man. Prior to Sean Rose's death, he was the secret lover of Alma Reynard.
He was a senior figure in both Sean Rose's and Alma Reynard's cells in Grey's militia, as well as Noel Crest's breakaway group. He eventually becomes a personal bodyguard for Arthur Edwards (possibly the second-in-command of the commando team) and likely has a great deal of influence within Providence.
Biography[]
Orson is first seen in the HITMAN™ 2 mission, Nightcall, set in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. He and Alma return home to her beach house after conducting an operation at a luxurious party, which Orson referred to as a “snob fest.” Orson and Alma chat before heading to bed; at the behest of their mysterious boss, she assigned him to pick up Kronstadt drones and other tech in Brussels as part of their new partnership with Providence defector Robert Knox, much to his chagrin. He was also slated to participate in an incoming operation in Riga. That night, however, Alma was assassinated by Agent 47 as part of the ICA's contract against the militia. Orson is understandably quite upset by this.
He is described by Grey as dependable and hard working.
Later, on the uncharted Ambrose Island in the Andaman Sea, Orson would join rogue militia lieutenant Noel Crest as his second-in-command during the Hitman 3 mission, Shadows in the Water, set between HITMAN™ 2's Another Life and The Ark Society missions. Orson oversaw militia operations from the island's colonial outpost. Crest also entrusted him with one of the control unit access cards required to utilize the militia's stolen Surveillance Satellite as part of his plan to ransom it out to the the Ether Biotech Corporation.
After Crest's death at the hands of Agent 47, as well as Grey's disbandment of the militia, Orson seemingly raised a gang and was involved in multiple high profile crimes, later being caught robbing a money transport in Belgium. Upon hearing this news, Arthur Edwards, Providence's top controller, had a team from Ether sent down in order to extract information from him regarding the whereabouts of his former boss. Their chemical interrogation proved fruitless, since Orson never knew who he worked for due to Grey's compartmentalization of his militia. According to two of Edwards' Heralds in The Farewell, Orson eventually "saw the light" and joined Providence--potentially the result of the drugs, genuine sympathy with their cause, or simple self-interest. Specifically, he joined Edwards' private security team following vacancies left after they ambushed Grey in England.
He likely went on his criminal escapades, was captured, and defected to providence all in the course of the few weeks/months in between Ambrose Island and the Isle of Sgàil.
Orson cameos in HITMAN III's final mission, Untouchable, as a Providence commando working for Edwards aboard The Mortar, a repurposed Soviet-era military train. Assigned to protect Edwards and guard an incapacitated 47, Orson expressed to his colleagues that he has a "bad feeling" about their prisoner, as this was the same man who murdered his lover. Being the last mission in the series, and due to the mission's unique rule of not penalizing collateral damage, it is unknown if Orson survives canonically, and his fate in-game is determined by the player.
Personality and Traits[]
Orson is a pale muscular man with long black hair that he keeps in a bun, and has a long diagonal scar across his torso, presumably a combat wound. He is usually the “comedic-relief” during his appearances.
He gets a "bad feeling" before significant events happen, coincidentally, often when 47 is around.
it is suggested that Orson is initially somewhat scared of 47 and later thinks of him as a rival, as in all later appearances, he is immediately hostile to the player.
Orson is down-to-earth and not a fan of high society, as evident in Nightcall. He was wary of their boss' modus operandi, and devoted to Reynard's safety. He becomes nervous if the player disposes of and hides Alma, and will call the security force to ask if they have seen her.
In Shadows in the Water, Orson is shown to be hard-working and friendly, walking around the compound, checking on militia members to make sure they have been taken care of, and offering to help wherever he can. He is armed and will engage the player if threatened.
Providence heralds in Mendoza see it as beneficial to bring Orson over to their side, as he is a very competent and effective operator.
The Mills Reverie[]
Orson Mills is the target during The Mills Reverie, a unique escalation which takes place in his nightmare. He can both be pacified and eliminated, depending on the conditions given to him during the unique escalation level. He is also the official "sacrifice" to be offered to the Weeping Angels at the horrified beach setting.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- During a Target Lockdown in Nightcall, he will go with Alma inside the Panic Room and meditate until the threat is over. If the safe room is compromised, he will flee to the scrub grass behind the house and crouch there. He is the only non-target civilian on that level. In contrast, during Untouchable and Shadows in the Water, Orson has combat AI and will investigate or attack the player if the player presents a threat.
- While it is possible to kill Orson in Nightcall, he canonically survives and appears later on in Shadows in the Water (chronologically), as well as Untouchable.
- In Shadows in the Water, he will mention the appeal of West Flanders, Belgium, as having "a lot of money flowing through it," foreshadowing his botched robbery attempt that gets him caught by Providence.
- Orson is mentioned in other missions, including:
- During The Ark Society, by Arthur Edwards in a phone call with Mikhail Kadir (providence herald on Mendoza.)
- During The Farewell, by two Heralds near the cinema at Viñedo Yates.
- In Shadows in the Water, he is one of the two characters that carry a Control Unit Access Card, specifically card A, which can help disable the Surveillance Satellite in the mission. Acquiring the card will complete half of the required objective in the mission.
- He and Alma are two of the few characters that will change outfits through the regular course of gameplay. Mumbai target Wazir Kale will also change his clothes eventually. In both Nightcall and Shadows in the Water, however, his outfit cannot be worn.
- He is the only VIP who also appears as a Guard in a later mission.
- Mills is one of six side characters in the World of Assassination trilogy to physically appear in three separate missions, the others being Torres Piombo, Heidi Santoro, Jason Portman, Carlton Smith, and Jeff.