| “ | We've both heard enough speeches about higher causes by now. History will decide who's right. End of story.
— Sam to Raiden
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” |
Samuel Rodrigues, codename Jetstream Sam, was a cyborg involved with the Desperado PMC group who fought against Raiden during the events of 2018. He was a master swordsman of the Rodrigues New Shadow School technique, which had derived from the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu of Japan.
His father ran a Brazilian Kenjutsu dojo, and specifically taught the Uradachi technique, better known as Satsujin-ken or "the murdering sword," which dealt with violence as the end goal. Sam's father eventually ended up killed by one of his pupils, with one of the drug cartels being rumored to have been involved for reasons and methods unknown, although not before Sam personally inherited his Murasama blade from his father. He then left Brazil, presumably to train, and eventually returned to kill the pupil in question before leaving Brazil permanently.
Afterwards, he travelled the world as a mercenary, and taking various odd jobs, including a job as a bodyguard and as a cleaner for the Mafia and the like. At an unknown point, Sam learned about Senator Senator Armstrong's involvement with World Marshal, and decided to kill him for 'sacrificing soldiers from the comfort of an office'.
Sam then encountered Armstrong on the rooftop after defeating a Hammerhead. Armstrong, as his "final interview", then powered up to his maximum form, the spectacle of which Sam even applauded when witnessing the transformation. After an intense battle, Sam seemingly was victorious over Armstrong. However, Armstrong stood up again virtually unharmed by Sam's assault. Armstrong then requested that he lend them a hand so they could end war as a business. Sam considered the idea, but decided to just "take his hand." He managed to cut off Armstrong's right hand, but Armstrong's nanomachines turned the tide when the severed arm formed a metallic blade which was used to sever Sam's right arm. Forced to concede defeat, Sam accepted the senator's offer and joined Desperado Enforcement.
Battle vs. Kai Leng (by BeastMan14)[]
Kai Leng stormed into the command center, satisfied in his victory over Shepard once again. Lawson may have escaped, but she would re-emerge. And when she did, he would be waiting. The Illusive Man turned at the sound of Leng's approach, and stamped out his cigarette. "What is it now? Shepard again?" Kai Leng reflexively put his hand on his sword, ready to do battle with his foe once more. "No, we believe Shepard has gone to ground to prepare his troops for further assault against the Reapers. We have discovered something much more...important to our cause." Kai tilted his head quizzically, thinking to himself, "Something more important than Shepard, or the Reapers? What could it be?"
Meanwhile, in the Colorado deserts...
Sam spun his blade back and forth between his fingers, waiting for Jack or Wolfy to show up, for something to happen. 2 years of planning, and he doubted it all on the last day. Strange, what meeting new people can do to your mind. But Sam had had enough with higher causes for a long time. As for now? He just wanted to cross blades with Jack for a final time, see who was the best once and for all. Suddenly, there was a bright yellow flash and a mysterious man in black armor stepped out, accompanied by two soldiers in white armor. Sam grinned, then walked towards the group. This would be interesting indeed.
5 minutes earlier...
Kai stepped into the ruins alongside his backup of two Centurions. The Illusive Man had given him his orders. Investigate the piece of Prothean technology scientists had discovered, and learn the whereabouts of the troops sent prior. "Kai, are you seeing anything of interest?" The Illusive Man asked through the chip in Kai Leng's ear. "No, but something here is putting me...on edge." Kai's hand slowly drew his sword from his sheath just as a Centurion rested his hand on a glowing blue wall, causing a rupture of light to spread from it. "Look out!" One of the Centurions cried as the light blinded Kai.
When the assassin re-opened his eyes, he saw a desert, a big one at that, with a single road cutting through it. "You're not exactly who I was looking for," a mysterious man in green armor said from 50 feet away, "but, practice makes perfect, no?" Suddenly, the man drew his sword and dashed towards Kai Leng, effortlessly dodging the shots from the Centurions, then killing them both with one strike a second later. Kai quickly raised his sword to block, and was pushed back, staggering over his over feet to balance himself. "Leng, are you still there? If you have to kill him, bring his sword to me." The Illusive Man ordered through his earpiece as Kai blocked three more strikes from the man's sword.
Sam grinned as his foe once again staggered backward to dodge one of his attacks. "Come on now, pretty boy! Hit me!" He shouted, quickly sheathing his sword and raising his hands in an arrogant manner. His enemy jumped forward to strike, a rookie mistake that would be punished shortly. Sam quickly drew his blade, sidestepping his opponent and slicing downward, leaving a massive slash across his back.
Kai stumbled, his teeth gritted in pain. "You'll pay for that!" He shouted, quickly whipping around and lunging forward with his sword. With a clash, Kai and his opponent locked blades. "This is unfortunate. I was really hoping more from you. I wonder why this is." The man chuckled, then pushed Kai Leng backwards, and lunging forward. Acting reflexively, Kai raised his wrist and fired from his palm blaster, hitting him in the hand and knocking the sword a few feet away.
Somewhat surprised, Sam raised his hands and bowed. "Fighting dirty, eh? I was hoping you'd be above that. Oh well, life is full of disappointment." Enraged, his disappointing opponent charged forward, with Sam reaching his left hand out and quickly grabbing the sword as it came down. "Ah! Now I see it. You deny your blade its true potential, by treating it as a tool, a means to an end. If you truly considered yourself a swordsman, you wouldn't use fancy tricks!" His opponent grimaced, and Sam chuckled. His taunt had succeeded.
"SHUT UP!" Kai Leng shouted, pushing backward with all his strength and forcing his foe backward, sending him staggering. Kai grinned, until he realized that the man had been pushed towards his sword. The man wiped the blood off his blade with his fingers and stepped forward. "I'm getting bored. I think its time..." He slid a mask over his mouth... "I finished this up." He dashed forward in the blink of eye, driving the blade straight through Kai's chest.
"It's over!" Sam yelled as he pulled the blade out of the black-armored man's chest, then seeing the man attempt to raise his arm to use his wrist blast, he swiftly sliced off the arm in question. "Well, I'd say better luck next time, but there won't be much of a next time, will there?" He laughed as he shook the blood off his sword, then sheathed it.
Kai Leng collapsed into a puddle of his own blood, mumbling to himself, "No, not like this. I was meant...to do battle with Shepard...to show...the Illusive Man...who was greatest." Closing his eyes for a final time, Cerberus greatest assassin had fallen. "Kai Leng, come in. Kai! KAI!" The Illusive Man shouted, before slamming his fist into his armrest. He knew this would happen eventually, but it would have been better not to happen today. Shaking his head, he pressed a button to initiate plan B.
Sam could see something on the horizon, and grinned in excitement just as a man's voice cleared his throat behind him. "Hm?" Sam turned around to see a hologram of a man sitting in a chair, smoking a cigarette. "Hello. I see you've met Kai Leng, our best assassin. We've grown an interest in-" He was cut off by Sam outburst of laughter. "If he was your best, I'd recommend rehiring." Sam chuckled as he began to turn away. "Wait!" The man raised his hand. "Don't you see that you're missing a chance to take part in the rising of humanity in the eyes of the galaxy? To use your blade for a cause?" Suddenly, Sam's smile disappeared. "I've had enough of higher causes, of heroic sacrifices, of the good of many. Now, I've decided that I shall follow my own ideals once more. Sorry for the inconvenience." Sam said just seconds before he crushed the projector, and the suited man disappeared.
The Illusive Man angrily snuffed out his cigarette and got up to leave. His best agent was dead, a new recruit slipped through his fingers, and Shepard was on his way. Cerberus was on its way out, he realized that now, but it would not simply vanish into the night. He would meet Shepard at the Crucible, and decide the galaxies fate once and for all.
Sam turned his head to see Bladewolf standing a couple feet away. "Hello again, Wolfy." Bladewolf tensed, "Samuel. I was not..." "Expecting me?" Sam looked over at Kai Leng's corpse as it lay in pieces. "Life is full of surprises, isn't it?" Reaching down to pet the cybernetic dog on the head, Sam smiled and said, "Let me tell something, Wolfy. Just between you and me."
WINNER: Jetstream Sam
Experts Opinion[]
Sam was able to easily defeat Kai Leng because he was simply the better swordsman. His experience, speed, swordsmanship, and stronger blade enabled him to put down Kai Leng, who brought the greater training and strength, which were ultimately not important enough factors in a duel of swords.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Black Manta (by MovieStuff65)[]
Sam exhales a deep breath, loosening his body and sheathing his sword. The man before him fell, his head with its grey Wolf mask cleanly falling from his grey uniformed body. The swordsman let out a disappointed sigh as he turned, his battle mask withdrawing from his mouth.
"To think, these people thought they could pull off a coup," Sam says to his employer. Hawkeye looses a final arrow, the shaft burying itself into the eye of this cell's leader across the room.
"Hope you're not too disappointed Sam," Hawkeye replies before putting his finger to his earpiece.
"Starkiller, this is Sparrow. East entrance has been cleared. How're things on your end?"
Leaning against a pipe, Sam's mind wanders as Hawkeye's conversation starts to drone on. I wonder if Jack is having as easy a time carving through these people as me.
Hearing a tongue click, Sam's attention returns to Hawkeye as the archer walks up to him. "We're to rendezvous with the DFPD up ahead. Hope you can keep up."
Sam scoffs at the taunt, and the two men walk further into DFederal's sewers. As they leave, the Spy decloaks behind them, his revolver drawn as he activates his own headpiece.
"Reinforcements are on the way. Finish your work quickly."
Black Manta nods to himself as Spy's message concludes. Looking at his subordinates, Manta gestures to the three hallways that split from their main staging grounds. "Neo, Psycho Mantis, I want you two going to the west entrance. Corleone's been silent since his last check-in; we assume he's been taken or killed. Report back to me if the position is compromised."
"Lelouch, you go back to base to ensure the evacuation has succeeded. Rendezvous with Spy and await further instructions. Leliana, you're with me." The three groups split off, with Black Manta and Leliana looking into the middle pipeline. Before they can continue, Leliana raises her hand.
"I hear people coming."
Manta nods, submerging into a deep well of water in the sewer while Leliana takes a vantage point. She disappears into a cloud of smoke, just as Hawkeye and Sam step in. From beneath the water, Black Manta carefully aims his lasers. The water starts to bubble from the heat, catching Sam's attention.
The cyborg shoves Hawkeye to the side, taking the full brunt of Black Manta's laser beams. As he's knocked down, his mask covers his face and he smiles beneath it. "Finally, a real challenge!" Sam roars with delight, quickly standing back up and drawing his sword. Leliana's arrow flies towards him, only for one of Hawkeye's own to intercept it.
"I'll take the archer, go after the guy underwater," Hawkeye orders, pulling out an arrow crackling with electricity. He launches it into the water, forcing Manta to leap out of the water, swords drawn. Hawkeye takes cover as he and Leliana trade arrows, leaving Sam to face Manta.
Manta moves first, shooting another blast of lasers at Sam, who dodges effortlessly and leaps forward. He slashes diagonally, nicking Manta's armor. He thrusts his sword forward, which Manta blocks with one of his short swords. He knocks it aside and tries a thrust, which Sam parries as he spins around with the momentum of his sword. Sam takes another swing, this one cleanly connecting with Manta's helmet and slicing a chunk of it off.
Manta propels himself upwards into the air, launching another blast to gain distance. Sam rolls to the side, and uses a nearby wall as a springboard to leap into the air. He catches up with the floating Manta, slashing again across Manta's chest. The armor rips, leaving a bleeding gash in Manta's chest.
"Going to have to do better than that!" Sam yells, following up with a thrust. Manta barely raises his swords in time, trapping them in between his blades. "Don't get too confident, cyborg," Manta growls, his eyes glowing. Before Manta can fire off lasers point blank, the two men fall to the ground.
Sam stands up first, recovering and grabbing his sword. Before Manta can stand, Sam takes another hefty swing at Manta's helmet. Another chunk falls off, the eye shattering and exposing his face. Manta grabs his sword and tries another desperate thrust, only for Sam to half-heartedly deflect it.
"Disappointing," Sam muses, wordlessly thrust his sword into the exposed gap in Manta's helmet and his skull. Manta falls to the ground, and Sam sheathes his blade. "I've got mine; how about you, Sparrow?"
Sam looks over to Hawkeye, who buries his knee into Leliana's head as he slaps a pair of handcuffs on her. "Yeah, we're clear."
WINNER: Jetstream Sam
Epilogue[]
"Boss isn't gonna be happy when he sees you, Red."
Hours after the last of DFPD pulled out of the sewers, several Wolves operatives in tow, Hawkeye uncuffs Leliana as they enter the secret door to Cfp's building. As they navigate the tunnels, Leliana rubs her wrists in annoyance. "You know, you could've uncuffed me once we left the sewers."
"Yeah, but where'd the fun in that be?"
The two co-workers stop as they approach, the door sliding open with a metallic hiss. In Cfp's office, a large shelf filled with DVDs splits apart for the two to enter. As they enter, Etrigan glances in their direction before resuming to drink the large bottle of rum in his hand. Cfp looks over from his desk, and gestures for Leliana to sit.
"I had to pull a lot of strings to get you extracted ahead of schedule," Cfp starts, taking a sip from his beer. "You better have a good reason."
"Trust me, this is important. Doom has access to the user database."
Cfp pauses briefly as he sets the bottle down, just enough for the others to catch the gesture. He tries to shrug it off as he leans back in his chair. "That can be dealt with. Your cover is probably blown by now, so getting out was a good-"
"That's not all, sir. It's how he's using it that's the problem."
Deep in the sewers, hidden by complex magic, Doctor Doom looks down in satisfaction at the currently dissected body of Kai Leng. In the palm of his hand, Kai Leng's deactivated collar sits uselessly. Handing it to his subordinate, Doom stands up and walks to his new partner.
"Your knowledge on the collars is worth praising," Doom says, the closest he could muster to a compliment. Laughing, Farouk waves his hand as if it were nothing.
"Consider it a favor. I'll be taking Leng myself for my own means, now."
Doom nods, gesturing for the exit. "Once all of our best soldiers are de-collared, my Wolves will be at your disposal."
Expert's Opinion[]
While Black Manta had a strategic and range advantage over Jetstream Sam, he couldn't compete against the cyborg swordsman. Sam's far greater skill more than compensated for his lacking technological equipment, giving him a distinct advantage in the fight.