This chapter is really short. Sorry! But you do learn something interesting (for those of you who haven't already picked it up). And we're almost through the slow part, so the action will begin very soon.
A quick thank-you to SGA-Seven for correcting me on some wraith physiology. And Nick only has a "scar" on her right hand.
Moving on!

"Birthmarks"

Nick awoke to a commotion outside. It was the middle of the night, but she could distinctly hear people running outside. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she grabbed a jacket and stepped out into the corridor.

The hall was full of people running. Mostly medical personnel, but there were also soldiers. Nick grabbed Teyla as she hurried past.

"What's going on?" she asked. Teyla shook her head.

"I do not know."

The two of them followed the crowd to the room housing the stargate. Colonel Carter was there, giving orders. She was wide awake, but she looked like she had just been dragged out of bed. John was also there. Teyla made her way over to him with Nick right behind.

"What is happening?" she asked.

"One of our teams just radioed in," he said, his eyes on the gate. "They were attacked by wraith. They should be here in a minute."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a man came through the gate holding a gun before him. He was closely followed by a group of men, several of whom had their guns at the ready, and then finally two more men. Everyone immediately began to clear a path so they could get to the infirmary where Jennifer Keller and her team were making hurried preparations. One of the men was limping, and most of the others looked pretty banged-up. The wraith had caught them completely off-guard. Nick couldn't seem to get over the feeling that if she had been there, she would have been able to warn them.

Then she noticed the man in the middle of the group. He was lying on his back, held up by several of his comrades. His face was wrinkled and his hair white.

The man who had first come through the gate came over to Sheppard.

"They came out of nowhere," he said. "Somehow one got ahold of him, but we blew its head off. He still had a pulse five minutes ago."

They group of men walked past, and Nick looked at the man's face. She knew he was already dead. Then she got a glimpse of the vicious, bloody slash on his chest where the wraith had been feeding. Her eyes went wide.

Images flashed before her eyes in rapid succession. The slash on his chest. The mark on her dead mother's chest. The strange line on the hand of the wraith she had killed. Her own right hand without its glove.

She stared after him, her eyes wide. Her right hand clenched involuntarily into a fist behind her back, so tight that her knuckles turned white.

All four marks were the same.

- - -

The man had already been dead for a full three minutes when they got him to the infirmary. The only reason Nick knew was because she had still been awake. She hadn't slept all night. Instead she had sat in her room, in the dark, listening to the conversation outside and staring at her ungloved right hand.

A wraith hand.

- - -

As the sun began to rise, she got up and made her way down to the infirmary. There was almost no one in there halls. And those that were out were completely silent.

The infirmary was totally empty. Nick wandered through all the rooms, but no one was there. She made her way back to the door and was about to leave when Dr. Keller came in.

"Wha!" Jennifer jumped.

"Sorry!" Nick said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I didn't think anyone was in here," Jennifer said, recovering from her surprise and heading into one of the side rooms. "What are you doing in here?"

Nick wandered after her.

"I haven't been able to sleep. I thought maybe you could give me something."

"Hang on." Jennifer opened a cabinet and pulled out a small container of pills. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Nick took the container, but she made no move to leave. Jennifer went over to a desk and started to look for something. A moment later she turned around, realizing that the teen was still there, staring at the container.

"Nick?"

Nick looked up suddenly, realizing she was supposed to have already left.

"Guess I'll get going," she said quickly.

She turned and walked out of the infirmary, still staring at the container. Or was she staring at her hand? Jennifer wasn't sure.

- - -

"Colonel Carter!"

Sam turned as Nick came running up behind her.

"Sleep well?" she asked jokingly, looking very tired herself. Nick nodded, eager to get to the point. She had come to a decision over breakfast and was ready to put it into action.

"I need to go home for a few days," she said. "My mom wrote a lot of stuff, and I thought maybe there might be something about..." she swallowed, "about me."

Sam studied her for a moment, and then nodded.

"Alright. I'll have someone get you a radio so you can call us if you need anything. And a gun, just in case."

"Thank-you," Nick said. She turned to go.

"Good luck," Sam said. Nick froze for a moment, and then kept walking.

- - -

Fifteen minutes later she was standing in front of the stargate with her bag on her shoulder, a gun in her hand, a radio at her belt, and the gate code for Atlantis engraved in her mind.

"We'll come by in a few days and make sure you're okay," John said. "If you need anything before that, you can radio the city." Then he added, "Or just come get it yourself." Nick nodded.

"Thanks."

"Be careful," John said.

Nick nodded and headed toward the waiting gate. She stopped in front of it and took a deep breath. Then she stepped through.

Did that surprise anybody? Or had you all already figured it out? For those of you who still have questions about Nick's history, all will be revealed in the next chapter. Well, more or less. :) While you wait, how about a review?