Indeed, the saving element in such torture was the tiny stone shelf she stood on. Such a humane arrangement allowed her to remain there much longer than if she had been simply hung by her wrists. After all, as Atella often remarked, this was punishment, not a life sentence. The pit’s sealed lid was closed and locked, the air hoses to Lana’s hood checked by Atella herself, and then she and the others left for warmer places. Lana stayed where she was.
She replayed in her mind the scene as they stood above the pit. Atella herself had fastened the girl’s wrists to the sturdy metal spreader bar. The two female guards that responded to the captain’s pager made sure that Lana’s feet and knees were spread wide as well by the knee and thigh bars. In her mouth they stuffed a monster rubber plug gag
