*sobs* Eve's first story is ending! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My baby has grown up!

Epilogue

After the party...

I returned to my apartment, dropping my bag of belongings on the ground. I hadn't been home since the mission, when everything started. Last time I had been there, I was a whole different person. Now I had friends. I didn't drink, I had no job, and I had superpowers.

The only difference between the apartment I left and the apartment I entered was that when I left, there was a girl inside. This time, there was a man. He was tall, his dark skin cloaked with a black trench coat. His left eye was covered by an eyepatch. On my couch sat two women, one of which was familiar.

"I guess I should probably offer you guys some drinks, but that's the polite thing to do, and it's not very polite to break into someone's home." I stepped closer to Jessica, crossing my arms.

"Sorry, Eve," she said, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry? How many times did I tell you the government was watching me? I guess I was right."

"It was under my orders that Agent Levin acted," said the man.

"And who are you, exactly?"

He smiled. "I'm sure you already know. A lot more goes on in that brain of yours than you are willing to admit."

I grinned back. "You're right, Director Fury." I turned back to my friend. "I've known you weren't really Jessica Lowell for a while, ever since the night of the battle. You and she," I said, pointing at the redhead next to her, "were talking in the warehouse. Your real name is Jennifer, right?" She looked surprised, and turned to her companion. "And you're Natasha."

"We've known about you for a while as well, Miss Reyes," said Fury, putting his hands behind his back.

"I knew that a long time ago. I like to keep track of the people who know me. My question is, why are you here? Why now?"

"You could be an incredible asset to SHIELD," piped in Natasha.

"We just had to make sure you are trustworthy with sensitive information," said Jennifer.

I looked at the photo of my mother, hanging above the refrigerator. I saw the symbol, hidden in the background, and sighed, just like every other time.

"What do you want from me?" I asked Fury, anticipating the answer.

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

AND THAT CONCLUDES Striking! :(

Keep following this story for info on the sequel. I'll post an author's note about it (eventually).