Crisp leather pounds against resistance. Weight takes impact, forced forward. Metal swings violently, shaking as the weight pulls back and then swings down.
Crisp leather pounds again, harder.
'Left' the bag takes impact 'Right' shaking with the force 'Left' heavy sand yanking the black bag from side to side violently 'Right'.
'Left. Right. Left. Right.' Jack chants in his head, rapidly and forcefully pounding into the heavy bag over and over again. 'Left. Right. Left. Right.' Sweat beads down his forehead and back. The towel around his neck doing little to fend off the salty liquid.
In the background, Jack barely registers the doors open as he pounds against the bag relentlessly. A thought crosses him that Teal'c might have left. He glances over to the weights to see Teal'c still lifting what seems at the very least, the equivalent of Daniel on the one bar.
"How much you got on there T?" Jack asks in a pant, he keeps his attention on the bag as he speaks. Teal'c doesn't reply and it's another minute of beating at the punching bag for Jack to register this.
"T?" Jack asks as he slows his punches and glances over at his friend, who seems content to just lift weights endlessly. "You hear me?" he asks forgetting the bag and being hit by it as it swings back at him. He shakes it off as he pulls his punching gloves off and picks up his water bottle breathlessly. Teal'c still doesn't respond which sends off alarms in Jacks head. "What's up Teal'c?"
"There is nothing 'up' at this current point in time O'Neill" Teal'c states, now accustomed to the term.
"Then why the cold shoulder?" Jack asks seriously. Feeling a lump form in his throat as he suspects he knows what this about.
"Major Carter does not wish me to converse with you O'Neill" Teal'c states as he drops the weight and retrieves his towel from beneath his back, to wipe his brow.
"Major Carter?" Jack nods biting his lip "Um Teal'c, I think she means 'don't talk to me about…what I did'" Jack offers as explanation, swallowing back guilt as he sits down on a bench.
"I am aware of the context she was referring to O'Neill." Teal'c states standing up "I am equally inclined to not converse with you at this time"
Jack's jaw flexed as he stared up at Teal'c, now towering above him and closed his eyes in frustration.
"At this time?" Jack asked opening his eyes again, capturing his gaze.
"I mean no offence by it O'Neill" Teal'c assures him "I believe it would not be wise to assist you in avoiding the issue at hand." Teal'c explained while Jack nodded letting him continue on his path. As Teal'c neared the door Jack called back.
"This changes things between you and I doesn't it?"
"Indeed" Teal'c stated in a way that influenced more emotion then Jack had ever believed possible for a single word.
Perhaps it was a second to 'sir'.
As Jack stood up he turned around to see Daniel sitting at a bench watching him. Daniel was dressed in gym pants runners and a singlet that indicated to Jack who had opened the door.
"What" Jack snapped the rhetorical question daringly at Daniel as he turned back to the punching bag, not bothering with the gloves and began furiously attacking the bag once more. Beating his fury into the heavy black bag as images of Sam, naked beneath him, terrified of him and pleading; flooded at the forefront of his mind. He was furious at himself above all else and with adrenaline and rage pumping through him with his rapid pulse; he tore up his fists against the bag. He'd not noticed the pain until Daniel had his arms around Jack, pulling him down to the gym floor as he grasped Jacks wrists, carefully avoiding his bloodied fists.
"Damn it Jack, what the hell do you think you're doing!" Daniel exclaimed as he held Jacks fists before him. "Trying to break your hands!" Daniel snapped at him as he wrapped his own, clean towel around Jack's raw fists.
"I don't know!" Jack snapped back at Daniel and Daniel frowned down at him "I don't know what I'm doing anymore Daniel" Jack declared while Daniel stared baffled "I don't know what I am"
Daniel sighed knowing what Jack had meant.
"You're not a rapist Jack…" Daniel begun when Jack let out a strangled laugh
"Really?" Jack asked with sour skepticism, between gritted teeth.
"yes you raped Sam. But that doesn't make you a rapist…"
"No, that's exactly what it makes me Daniel. A rapist. A lowlife. Skum. Dirt. Worthless!" Jack berated "Carter should have turned me in the first chance she got"
"Jack she won't…"
"I know she fucking won't!" Jack cut him off again "that's what makes this all just that little bit worse. I betrayed her trust and stole what ever innocence there was in her, successfully destroying whatever relationship we had; and she won't do a fucking thing about it because it's me." Jack dropped his head to the floor holding the towel balled in his hands.
"Jack" Daniel spoke not really knowing what to say to him.
"What Daniel?" Jack asked looking up at him. Daniel sighed letting go of Jacks wrists.
"I'll get Janet" he told him gesturing towards Jacks hands and Jack nodded letting him leave him to lay on the floor, staring up at the cement roof in thought.