Sam tapped her finger rapidly on her thigh, gazing with disgust at the base of the strange green rock on which Prometheus lay. The villagers were gathered around the Stargate, being ushered through by Daniel and Teal'c, while she had been here on the plateau for the last four hours. "Sir, if there's a booby trap under there, I can't see it."
"Of course you can't." Prometheus was almost gloating. "Goa-uld technology can be subtle, nay, even abstruse. Not often, but it can be."
The Colonel looked at her, turned in a circle, looked at her again. "Tell you what. If you can't find the thing by noon tomorrow, we'll just risk it. Cut him loose and run."
"Sir, with a little patience-"
"I can be patient when I have to, Carter. Prometheus, on the other hand, must be positively itching to go."
"It would be nice to stand up straight again," Prometheus admitted. "Just as soon as the villagers are safe."
"Which reminds me." Sam addressed Prometheus. "What about the issue of muscle atrophy? After this long, will you really be able to stand?"
"I told you. This rock. It's... It's like a portable open-top sarcophagus without the detrimental side-effects. If the goa'uld lords hadn't been so furious, they might have thought twice about giving it up just to punish me. I can't guarantee anything, but I think there's a good chance I'll be able to run when I need to."
"Let's hope so. Carter, keep looking."
Sam sighed, dropped to her knees, and started digging at the soil underneath the rock.
After a short break for a meal, the Colonel started helping her dig, and after nearly an hour, he said, "What's this?"
She scooted over to look. A small hollow was appearing between the rock and the ground, and the tiny excavation had revealed a silvery circular object about the size of her fist. "I have no idea."
The Colonel sat up to tap Prometheus on the shoulder. "Know anything about a little silver ball?"
"Yes. Don't touch it."
"Sir, it looks like it's got some kind of spring mechanism attached at the base. Fairly straightforward, maybe operating on the same principal as the kind of booby trap Indiana Jones movies are so fond of. He moves, it blows. Or, maybe not blows, but at least sets into action whatever is going to happen."
"Can you disarm it?"
"I've never seen anything quite like it."
"Uh-huh. So can you disarm it?"
She shrugged. "I can try. We should get those chains off first, in case we need to run."
The Colonel shook a finger at Prometheus. "We're cutting you loose. No moving until we say so."
Unfortunately, the hacksaw they had brought made absolutely no impression on the chains, and neither did any of the other implements they had.
"Nary a scratch." Prometheus sighed. "Oh well. It was a nice thought."
"We're not done yet," Sam told him.
Their radios crackled simultaneously, and a filtered version of Daniel's voice said, "Guys? The villagers are all through. We're heading back your way now."
Sam pulled out her radio to respond. "I think it'd be safer if you went back home. We'll be there in a few hours, with a little luck."
Daniel's voice was firm. "No way. We can help. We're on our way."
She looked at the Colonel, who shrugged. "If worst comes to worst, the backup might come in handy. Besides, Teal'c's got the blowtorch."