barucai
[Mini Story] Elevator Pitch
Published: November 18th 2024, 6:02:21 am
Hi Hi ✨
Quick story that was meant for Friday (sorry, had a wedding to attend 😅). Speaking of which... any ideas for wedding stories? T3&4 members, you'll find some alt images in your folders!
📦 Grab the full res image from the attachment section of this post. ⬇️
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Elevator Pitch
"Eight thousand rubles? That's all my savings," Ekaterina Volkova muttered, staring at her phone screen in the office bathroom. The message from her mysterious contact was clear: exact amount, exact location, no negotiations. She glanced at herself in the mirror - 5'4" of youthful ambition wrapped in a carefully chosen navy business suit. Three months into her internship at Volkov Engineering, and still no one took her seriously.
"It'll be worth it," she whispered to her reflection, straightening her blazer. The reviews she'd found online were sparse but promising. 'Guaranteed results', they claimed. 'Be the presence they can't ignore.'
Her phone buzzed again: "10 minutes. Side entrance. Don't be late."
Ekaterina checked her watch - 8:50 AM. The morning meeting wasn't until 9:30. Perfect timing. She grabbed her purse and rushed to the elevator, jabbing the ground floor button repeatedly.
The side entrance opened to a narrow alley, dumpsters lining one wall. A figure in a black hoodie stood in the shadows, checking his phone.
"Katya?" he asked without looking up.
She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her. "Yes, that's me."
He finally looked at her, his face mostly hidden under the hood. "The money?"
Ekaterina pulled out an envelope, hands trembling slightly. "It's all there. Eight thousand."
The man counted quickly, then reached into his pocket and produced a small plastic bottle with three pink pills inside. "Take one now. I need to see you do it."
"What? Here? I thought-"
"Those are the terms. Take it now, or no deal."
Ekaterina looked at the bottle, then at her watch. 8:55 AM. "How long until...?"
"Five minutes for first effects. Full results in about twenty." He thrust the bottle toward her. "Now or never."
With trembling fingers, Ekaterina opened the bottle and popped one pill into her mouth, swallowing it dry. The man nodded, satisfied.
"Good luck, Katya," he said, already turning away. "Oh, and one more thing..." He paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Hope you're not wearing anything you care about."
Before she could ask what he meant, he was gone.
Ekaterina hurried back inside, checking her watch again. 8:57 AM. The lobby was busy with the usual morning crowd, but she managed to squeeze into an elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a familiar voice called out.
"Hold the door!"
Her heart sank as Viktor Petrov, head of engineering and her direct supervisor, stepped in. At 6'2", he towered over her, his expensive suit and perfectly groomed salt-and-pepper hair radiating authority.
"Ah, Ekaterina," he said, barely glancing up from his phone. "Early start today?"
"Yes, sir," she managed, pressing herself into the corner. The elevator began its ascent to the 15th floor.
Three minutes had passed since she took the pill. Her skin felt warm, almost itchy. Was that normal? She tried to focus on her breathing, stealing glances at her boss, who remained absorbed in his emails.
Suddenly, between the 7th and 8th floors, the elevator shuddered and stopped with a grinding noise. The lights flickered but stayed on.
"Chyort," Viktor muttered, finally looking up from his phone. He pressed the emergency button. "Maintenance? We're stuck between 7 and 8."
A crackly voice responded: "Aware of the situation, sir. Working on it now. Should be about twenty minutes."
Twenty minutes? Ekaterina felt panic rising in her chest. She checked her watch - four minutes since taking the pill. Her skin wasn't just warm now; it was burning. She could feel her heart racing, pounding in her ears.
Viktor sighed, loosening his tie slightly. "Well, Miss Volkova, I suppose we'll have to-" He stopped mid-sentence, frowning at her. "Are you alright? You look flushed."
"I'm fine," she said quickly, but her voice came out stronger, deeper than usual. A strange sensation was spreading through her body, like every muscle was waking up at once.
Viktor took a step toward her, concern evident on his face. "Are you sure? You seem-"
He never finished that sentence, because at that moment, Ekaterina felt the first wave hit her. It started in her legs - a sudden, intense pressure that made her gasp. Her carefully hemmed trousers began to ride up as her calves and thighs swelled with new muscle. She grabbed the elevator railing for support, only to feel her grip strengthening by the second.
"Miss Volkova?" Viktor's voice seemed distant as she watched her forearms thicken, her blazer growing tight around her biceps. A ripping sound made them both jump - the seams of her jacket were giving way.
"I... I can explain," she started, but then another wave hit her. This time it was her whole body at once. She could feel herself getting taller, the ceiling getting closer. Her shoes began to pinch, then split as her feet grew. The jacket's shoulders finally gave up, tearing open as her frame widened.
Viktor pressed himself against the opposite wall, his eyes wide. "What's happening to you?"
Ekaterina couldn't answer. She was too busy watching her body transform. Her blouse, already straining, began popping buttons as her chest expanded. She had to bend her knees slightly now - she must have been over seven feet tall already, and still growing.
The elevator creaked ominously as her weight increased. Her muscles continued to develop, shredding what remained of her suit. Thank goodness she'd worn a sports bra and bike shorts underneath - though even those were stretched to their limits.
"This is impossible," Viktor whispered, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was still growing, approaching eight feet now. Her shoulders nearly spanned the width of the elevator, her head brushing against the ceiling.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a minute, the growth slowed and stopped. Ekaterina stood there, breathing heavily, her clothes in tatters, filling most of the elevator space. She had to hunch over to avoid hitting her head.
Viktor stared up at her, his mouth open. She'd worked with him for three months, always looking up at him. Now he barely reached her chest.
The silence was broken by the maintenance voice: "Sir? We're still working on the issue. How are you doing in there?"
Viktor cleared his throat, still staring at Ekaterina. "We're... we're fine. Just please hurry."
Ekaterina shifted uncomfortably, trying to make herself smaller, which was impossible in the confined space. "Mr. Petrov, I can explain..."
He held up a hand, finally finding his voice. "Miss Volkova, when we get out of here, you and I are going to have a very long conversation about workplace enhancement policies." He paused, then added with the ghost of a smile, "And perhaps a discussion about a more suitable position than intern."
The elevator creaked again as Ekaterina moved, and they both froze. The twenty minutes it would take for rescue suddenly seemed very, very long indeed.
"So," Viktor said after a moment, loosening his tie further. "I assume this wasn't quite the growth you were expecting?"
Ekaterina couldn't help but laugh, the sound booming in the small space. "No, sir. Not quite."
And as they settled in to wait for rescue, Ekaterina couldn't help but think that while this wasn't exactly how she'd planned to make a big impression at work, it had certainly done the job.
*
The rescue took considerably longer than twenty minutes. The firefighters, when they finally arrived, were faced with a unique challenge: how to extract an eight-foot-three woman and her boss from a standard elevator stuck between floors.
"Maybe we should have read the fine print," Ekaterina joked weakly, still hunched over to avoid the ceiling. Her new voice, though still feminine, carried an authority she'd never had before.
Viktor, who had spent the last half hour alternating between making phone calls and stealing amazed glances at his transformed intern, actually chuckled. "I think this might be beyond any reasonable fine print, Miss Volkova."
They could hear the rescue team discussing options outside, their voices carrying through the elevator doors.
"We can't just open the doors - there's not enough clearance to climb up!"
"What about going through the ceiling panel?"
"Have you seen how tall she is? She's already touching it!"
Ekaterina felt her face flush. "I'm sorry about all this, Mr. Petrov. I just wanted to... to be taken seriously."
Viktor looked up at her - way up - and raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'd say you've succeeded there. Though perhaps with a bit more emphasis on the 'big' part of 'big impression' than intended."
Before Ekaterina could respond, there was a loud banging on the elevator doors. "Sir? Ma'am? We're going to try something. We've managed to align the car with the eighth floor. When we get these doors open, there should be just enough space to crawl out. The gentleman first, then..."
The voice trailed off, clearly unsure how to phrase the next part.
"Then we'll figure something out for me?" Ekaterina suggested.
"Er, yes, ma'am."
The doors slowly pried open, revealing a team of firefighters who couldn't quite hide their shock at the sight before them. Viktor carefully maneuvered around Ekaterina's massive form and climbed out with their help.
"Now, Miss Volkova," one firefighter said, trying to maintain his professional composure, "if you could just... um..."
Ekaterina looked at the opening. Even on her hands and knees, it was going to be a tight squeeze. She could feel the elevator car swaying slightly with every movement.
"Perhaps," Viktor suggested from the hallway, "we should discuss your new position while they figure this out. I'm thinking something in client relations - you certainly have a commanding presence now."
Despite her predicament, Ekaterina smiled. "Sir, are you offering me a job while I'm stuck in an elevator?"
"Consider it hazard pay," he replied. "Though we'll need to discuss a new dress code policy. And possibly reinforced furniture."
It took another thirty minutes, three firefighters, and some creative problem-solving to finally extract Ekaterina from the elevator. By the time she stood up to her full height in the hallway, a small crowd of office workers had gathered, all staring up at their newest colleague.
Viktor cleared his throat, addressing the onlookers. "Back to work, everyone. Miss Volkova here will be joining our client relations team, once we... sort out some logistical details."
As the crowd dispersed, Ekaterina caught her reflection in the window. She barely recognized herself - a giant among normal people, her body powerful and imposing. The remains of her business suit hung in tatters around her enhanced frame.
"Sir," she said, ducking to avoid a light fixture, "I may need to work from home until I can find some new clothes."
Viktor nodded, still looking slightly dazed. "Agreed. And Ekaterina?" He waited until she looked down at him. "Next time you want a promotion, maybe just ask for one?"
She grinned. "Yes, sir. Though you have to admit, this method was pretty effective."
As they made their way to his office to sort out the paperwork - carefully avoiding any more elevators - Ekaterina couldn't help but think that while the mysterious man in the alley had changed her life forever, it might not have been entirely for the worse.
Though she definitely should have asked about a money-back guarantee if she overshot her target height.
The pills in her purse seemed to burn a hole in her conscience. Two more remained, and she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone else took them. But that was a concern for another day. Right now, she had to figure out how to fit through doorways without ducking.
One thing was certain - no one would ever overlook her in meetings again.