Mabel Collins was an engineer who worked for Nikola Tesla in 1915, and who later became a founder and leader in Collins Falls.
Biography[]
In 1915, Tesla tested the Wireless Power Transmitters, when something went wrong and the citizens of Wardenclyffe Falls were pushed out of sync with the rest of the universe. During the test, Mabel Collins was in the Wardenclyffe Falls Dam main control room, which partially insulated her from the effects. When Mabel started to wink in and out of sync with the universe, Tesla anchored her in her body by installing a copper knob at the base of her neck, which turned her into a human “grounding wire”. Tesla also modified the transmitters to stabilize the townspeople, including Mabel, but only within the boundaries of the town.
Mabel revealing her grounding wire
In 1953, Mabel became one of the founders of the namesake Collin Falls, the town which replaced the now-vanished Wardenclyffe Falls. Mabel became an active member in the community while leading the attempt to maintain the wireless power transmitters, and preparing to reintegrate the original citizens of Wardenclyffe Falls into the real world.
In 2014, the Librarians came to Collins Falls to investigate the disappearance of Victor Finch, and encountered Mabel while looking for more information on the town. Introducing herself as the town archivist, notary, volunteer fire chief, and "chancellor of the exchequer", or treasurer, she appeared to help them with their investigation. However, she kept the truth of the townspeople, and their role in Victor's disappearance, to herself. As she and Jacob Stone worked together in the town archives, they bonded over their respective small town lives, and the desire to get out and see more of the world.
Once the Librarians started to uncover the truth, and Cassandra Cillian found proof that Mabel had been alive for over a century, she decided to trust them. She told them about the failed experiment and the townspeople's hopes of rejoining the rest of the world, and asked the Librarians to help them do so. Although the Librarians had mixed feelings on the way the incorporeal townspeople used other people's bodies, they agreed to help Mabel prepare the re-integration system for activation. She once again worked with Stone, revealing that she literally couldn't leave the town, while he told her that he'd come to realize that his "family obligations" were just excuses he'd made to avoid making the choice to leave. The two shared a kiss, after which she jokingly asked him how his first kiss with a 130-year-old woman had been.
When the re-integration system was revealed to be malfunctioning, with the potential to cause a great deal of destruction, Mabel agreed to turn it off, even though that meant that the townspeople would remain stuck between dimensions. She and Stone made their way to the override switch on the roof of the dam, with Mabel acting as a grounding wire for the energy from the re-integration system. As the energy grew, she collapsed; Stone had to carry her the rest of the way, distracting her by coming up with fictional memories of the two of them travelling the world. With the power from the system threatening to overwhelm them both, Mabel managed to reach out and flip the override switch, shutting it down at the cost of her own life.
Personality[]
Mabel (centre) in 1915.
Mabel Collins was smart and determined, with a strong sense of responsibility. She was the one who keeps the town of Collins Falls running, taking on any responsibilities that were needed of her, as well as being the one true connection between the Wardenclyffe Falls townspeople and the real world. She was a capable engineer, having worked alongside Nikola Tesla, and used her skills to keep the stabilization circuitry working as well as working on the re-integration system. When it became clear that the re-integration system was going to fail, Mabel was able to both make the difficult call to shut the system down, denying her people the chance to re-enter the real world, and to sacrifice herself in order to get it done.
While she was willing to work with the Librarians when they come to town, she also insisted on being a part of their work, as it had to do with her town. She kept her town's secrets, but was able to reach out and ask for help when it became clear that the Librarians were going to uncover the truth.
Although she was practical and straightforward when keeping the town running, Mabel was also a dreamer, desperately wanting to get out of the town she'd been stuck in for over a hundred years. Her workspace featured an entire wall of postcards from other countries, and her goal in life once she was able to leave was to make memories in those places. She even learned French, in hopes of making it to Paris. She formed a close bond with Jacob Stone on the basis of those dreams, recognizing him for someone who also grew up in a small town but had bigger plans. Their relationship allowed him to realize that he was the one holding himself back all along.