Lesson 3

[Jeremy Kirk]

Subject line: Jeremy Hero’s Mission Track

What I learned doing this assignment is I believe the set up is pretty solid so the writing should be smooth.

1. Mission Track questions

• A. What is it about this Hero that will have them go straight into the face of the overwhelming odds? Jackie may not be the smartest tool in the shed, but he is fearless. Plus, he believes he is “lucky.”
• B. What is the mission that would be an impossible goal? Surviving all the assassins that have come to collect the bounty, Jackie steals the bounty money that was placed on his head making killing him an even sweeter deal.
• C. What strong internal and external motivation could drive the hero? Jackie wants to make sure his Agency will pay out his death benefit to Shelly. When he realizes he’s been double crossed, he decides to go and get the money himself.
• D. Imagine that mission playing out across a story. What could naturally happen if this hero went on this mission against this villain? Jackie is up against Birchwood and his Society of Contract Killers, other killers out to claim the bounty and a professional hitter, Leatha L. Koffin.

2. Mission Steps

Clear Mission: Jackie comes to the realization that the hitman agency he works for is trying to kill him and has been for some time. He discovers a bounty has been placed on his head and decides to take the money for himself and kill anyone in his way.
• Motivation: Jackie is motivated by the fact that he wants Shelly to get his death benefit, one way or another.
• Inciting Incident: We begin with Jackie in the shit as he was sent on an assignment that went bad. It was another attempt to kill Jackie. However, Jackie’s guardian Angel keeps him alive.
• First Action: The hit at the drive-through. Birchwood farms the contract out to Mr. Yang and Mr. Wang. With the help of Angel, Jackie survives.
• Obstacle: Because Jackie lived, Birchwood places a “bounty” on his head.
• Escalation: Professional assassins come to play. Letha L. Koffin, Moose LaHarl and Johnny Wrought.
• Overwhelming Odds: With so many after his life, Yael the Guardian Angel smuggles Jackie a divine revolver.
• New Plan: Jackie decides to go into his Agency and take the 10 million dollars that was placed on his head.
• Full out Attack: After being chased by Letha Koffin, he will have to fight it out with her. The problem, she also has a divine weapon. As Jackie fights Letha, Yael fights Letha’s Guardian Angel Sarial.
• Success: By the end Jackie will have defeated all the professional assassins. He has the money but will need to fight his way out of an alley for total success.

[Jason Lauer]

Jason Lauer's Hero Mission Track

## **1. Story Logic & Character Motivation**

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### **A. What is it about this Hero that will have them go straight into the face of overwhelming odds?**

**Rick Maddox** is more than a former covert operative—he’s a man whose myth overshadowed the very real people he lost. When the only person who still believes in him is kidnapped and strapped to a live warhead, Rick doesn’t hesitate. This mission isn't about fame—it's about redemption, honor, and proving that real heroes don’t retire.

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### **B. What is the mission that would be an impossible goal?**

Infiltrate **Blackridge Missile Complex**, now a high-tech terrorist stronghold controlled by **Damien Voss**, and rescue the **President’s kidnapped grandson**—who is chained beneath a live Cold War missile, seconds from launch.
The base has been rebuilt with **digitally enhanced, weaponized versions of the very traps Maddox faced in his past missions**—every room a deadly remix of cinematic legend and modern warfare.

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### **C. What strong internal and external motivation could drive the hero?**

* **Internal:** Rick is haunted by the loss of his team during the original mission at Blackridge. He’s spent decades carrying survivor’s guilt behind a mask of celebrity.
* **External:** A boy’s life hangs in the balance—a boy who still believes Rick is the hero from the screen. Saving him is a shot at reclaiming the man he used to be.

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### **D. Imagine that mission playing out across a story. What could naturally happen if this hero went on this mission against this villain?**

* Rick drops into Blackridge and realizes the entire complex has been remade as a **warped tribute to his own legend**, reprogrammed by a younger, smarter enemy.
* Voss taunts him using AI, surveillance, and psychological warfare—broadcasting clips of Rick’s past movies as he’s hunted in real time.
* Each trap reflects something Rick once survived—now rebuilt with **modern tech** to guarantee his failure.
* Rick is forced to **outwit his own legend**, proving he's more than a brand—he’s a survivor.
* He rescues the boy and defeats Voss in the very silo where it all began—this time, for real.

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## **2. Mission Steps – Structure of the Impossible Mission**

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### **Clear Mission:**

Infiltrate Blackridge Missile Complex, bypass Damien Voss’s high-tech defenses, and rescue the President’s grandson before he’s vaporized beneath a live warhead.

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### **Motivation:**

* To redeem the man behind the myth.
* To save an innocent child who sees him as a real-life hero.
* To stop a madman from erasing the legacy of sacrifice and turning it into propaganda.

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### **Inciting Incident:**

Voss hijacks Blackridge, straps the President’s grandson beneath a warhead, and demands the one man who knows the complex return: *Dutch Striker*.
Rick is pulled from a sad fan convention and asked to save the one kid who still believes in him.

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### **First Action:**

Rick parachutes into Blackridge. He uses analog techniques and Cold War knowledge to avoid detection by Voss’s surveillance drones and tripwire systems.

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### **Obstacle:**

Voss has recreated **Rick's most iconic movie-set traps**—but upgraded them with modern technology:

* **Flamethrower hallway** from *Terminal Strike* is now infrared-triggered with directional heat-seeking AI.
* **Exploding arcade cabinet** from *Downtown Justice* is now a hacked biometric bomb that targets Maddox’s vitals.
* **Falling spike ceiling** gag from *Jungle Vengeance* is rebuilt with laser-sensing nanofiber spears—tracking movement in real time.
* Even Maddox’s iconic motorcycle jump scene is mimicked—but the ramp is magnetized and pulls him into a hidden EMF minefield.

Rick must outthink these tech-enhanced versions of his own past—using both low-tech improvisation and unorthodox tactics.

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### **Escalation:**

Rick finally locates the President’s grandson—but Voss ambushes them and reveals the **boy is strapped beneath the rocket** in the silo.
The missile is counting down. Rick is thrown into a museum of *Dutch Striker* memorabilia designed to humiliate him, with Voss broadcasting real footage of Rick’s past failures to the world.

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### **Overwhelming Odds:**

Rick has less than 10 minutes to stop the launch, rescue the boy, and defeat Voss—who has reprogrammed the base to track Rick’s movements using archived footage from his own films.

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### **New Plan:**

Rick climbs the missile gantry, fighting through Voss’s elite mercs, and uses a rusted **Cold War override valve** to weaken the upper silo platform.
He lures Voss into a final, brutal confrontation atop the launch structure while the countdown ticks.

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### **Full-Out Attack:**

In a brutal, hand-to-hand fight, Rick battles Voss across the gantry, surrounded by fire and flashing hazard lights.
Rick severs Voss’s lifeline with a combat knife and disables him. Then, using a severed chain, he rappels down, frees the boy, and hauls him into the maintenance shaft.

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### **Success:**

Rick and the boy barely escape before the missile explodes, vaporizing Voss and collapsing the silo.
Weeks later, Rick is back at the convention. This time, he’s introduced by the President’s grandson—and behind them, **real footage** from the mission plays like a trailer:
**“Dutch Striker: Final Detonation.”**

Rick signs a photo, smirks, and says:
**“I did my own stunts.”**

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 1 day ago by  Jason Lauer.