Originally Posted: Mar. 2nd, 2007
Length/Rating: 100 words, PG, Gen
Pairing/Warnings: none
Summary: Written for sga_flashfic Masks and Masquerade challenge.

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“What do you mean it doesn’t come off?”

“Apart from the obvious?” John fought off memories of the mask’s edges seeping into his face. Seeping. He shuddered, refocusing on counting white rocks dotting the road. Thirty-six.

“It has to come off, why would they–”

Thirty-eight. “Lifetime appointment, Rodney.” Thirty-nine.

“Then why did you put it on?”

Forty. “It was ceremonial; a symbolic acceptance of guardianship of the planet.” He could feel mask oozing information into his brain, detailing the current state of, well, everything on P24-T12. Forty-one.

“You’ve got a lousy grasp on the concept of ‘symbolic’ then.”

Forty-two.