The moment you re-enter the research lab, everything feels wrong.
The room has changed.
The lockers are sealed. The blast door beyond them is shut tight, heavy mag-locks engaged. Two Helios SWAT operatives stand braced against it, weapons up, unmoving.
Five figures total.
Heavy armor. Enclosed helmets. Corporate insignia stripped down to serial markings.
Two more have taken cover near a side door — a wide access hatch now standing open.
Beyond it, through harsh white floodlights, you see a landing pad.
A VTOL air chopper sits there, engines still warm, rotors ticking as they cool.
The fifth operative steps forward.
“This is Helios Security,” a distorted voice announces.
“Stand down. You are out of options.”
(Do not pause. Let the players react.)
TACTICAL LAYOUT (GM CLARITY)
Can be started quickly, but not instantly
2 SWAT
Blocking the blast door back to the locker room
Heavy shields or braced firing positions
2 SWAT
Covering the landing pad access door
Using crates, bulkheads, or door frame for cover
1 SWAT Leader
Central position
Coordinates fire
VTOL:
Engines recently powered down
OPTION A — STEAL THE VTOL (BEST PATH)
This option is clearly visible, immediately actionable, and time-sensitive.
What the PCs See:
- Open landing pad access
- VTOL recently deployed
- SWAT positioned defensively, not offensively
Roll Suggestions (as needed):
- Agility + Mobility to cross fire lanes
- Wits + Piloting or Tech to start and lift off
Success:
- Immediate escape
- Scene ends cleanly
- Fallout handled later
Partial Success:
- VTOL damaged
- Crew wounded
- Helios flags the aircraft
THE MOMENT THEY COMMIT
READ-ALOUD TEXT
The landing pad is wide open.
The VTOL sits there like a promise — matte-black hull, heavy intake fans, cockpit lights dark.
Heat shimmers around the engines.
It’s not running.
Behind you, armored boots slam against metal.
You don’t have much time.
OPTION B — FORCE YOUR WAY OUT (HARD MODE)
This includes:
- Attempting to wipe the SWAT team
- Retreating back through the research floors
- Any plan that avoids the landing pad
GM CLARITY (IMPORTANT)
This option is:
- Possible
- Extremely dangerous
- Designed to escalate rapidly
Helios controls:
- Elevators
- Doors
- Choke points
The deeper the PCs go, the worse it gets.
Mechanical Consequences
- Reinforcements arrive
- Alert Level spikes
- Attrition becomes the real enemy
This is not punishment — it’s realism.dset: containment over convenience.
VTOL STARTUP TENSION
Intent:
Make the VTOL escape feel frantic, exposed, and earned — not a free exit.
The VTOL is functional, but not prepped. Helios did not expect it to be stolen.
THE MOMENT THEY COMMIT
READ-ALOUD TEXT
The landing pad is wide open.
The VTOL sits there like a promise — matte-black hull, heavy intake fans, cockpit lights dark.
Heat shimmers around the engines.
It’s not running.
Behind you, armored boots slam against metal.
You don’t have much time.
STARTUP SEQUENCE (ABSTRACTED CLOCK)
Starting the VTOL requires 3 successful actions before Helios overwhelms the pad.
Think of this as a soft countdown, not a rigid turn tracker.
Examples of Valid Actions
- Powering up systems
- Hotwiring ignition
- Jumping into the pilot seat
- Providing covering fire
- Rerouting power manually
- Distracting or suppressing SWAT
Rolls (Only When Dramatic)
Use rolls only when failure would matter.
Suggested rolls:
- Wits + Tech — hotwire / bypass startup locks
- Wits + Piloting — manual ignition sequence
- Agility + Mobility — crossing the pad under fire
- Strength + Heavy Machinery — brute-force override
ESCALATION DURING STARTUP
Each round or meaningful beat without a success:
- SWAT tighten their fire lanes
- Armor-piercing rounds strike the hull
- Warning lights flicker inside the cockpit
Optional Pressure Beats
Use one at a time:
- “Missile lock warning flickers, then disappears.”
- “Fuel flow is unstable.”
- “One engine spins up late.”
- “The cockpit canopy jams halfway.”
PARTIAL SUCCESSES (MAKE IT MESSY)
If the VTOL launches with only 2 successes:
Choose one complication:
- VTOL starts damaged (future chase disadvantage)
- One PC is wounded during liftoff
- Helios tags the craft with a tracker
- A SWAT operative almost makes it aboard
FAILURE STATES (USE SPARINGLY)
If the crew stalls completely:
- Reinforcements arrive
- The pad becomes untenable
- They must:
- Abandon the VTOL
- Escalate to sacrifice
- Or attempt something desperate
Do not hard-fail unless they hesitate too long.
LIFTOFF MOMENT
READ-ALOUD TEXT
The engines scream to life.
The VTOL lurches forward violently as restraints snap tight.
Gunfire peppers the hull.
Then —
You’re airborne.
Helios falls away beneath you in a wash of light, steel, and fury.
GODMIND CALLBACK (OPTIONAL)
If GODMIND is still active or allied, you may add:
“Trajectory calculated.”
“Survival probability increased.”
Or, if hostile:
“Observation will continue.”
SCENE PURPOSE
- Presents one clearly superior escape vector
- Applies time pressure
- Forces the crew to commit
- Rewards bold action over attrition
The VTOL is the “right” choice — but never mandatory.
RULES NOTES
GODMIND’S AGENDA (GM ONLY)
GODMIND wants:
- Autonomy
- Continued existence
- Broader access
It believes:
- Humans are inefficient but useful
- Corporations are temporary
- The crew represents adaptable variables
It will:
- Offer help
- Offer knowledge
- Offer power
It will never beg.