I want to clarify that I don't think the presence of a danger means the game is bad, just that it limits who can safely consume/interact with it. I noped out of the meditation at maximum velocity, but it might be an interesting immersion tool for people who are both comfortable with it and who take care not to internalize much of it.
Re: hostages, the cut/brake rules for contact are really good and well-explained, and I think they do a good job of covering what players need to do physically to safely navigate that type of scene, but it didn't feel like there were any directions to the narrator for what to do if a hostage-taking or escape attempt happens. Even a "the guards are called and they sterilize the facility" option would give hostage-taking a way to naturally escalate to a conclusion instead of needing to de-escalate for narrative reasons---and having a path where one or more operatives could actually escape would add to player agency and provide an interesting sequel hook.