Fake Protag

## Fake Protagonist

**Fake Protagonist** is one of the antagonists of *Elevator Hitch*. He is an alternate version of Protag, stuck indefinitely with Fake Coworker in a separate elevator.

## Personality

Fake Protag appears to be very friendly and outgoing. During conversations, he tends to be the one answering for both him and Fake Coworker. He is determined to do whatever it takes to get out of the elevator and offers no more information about the situation than is necessary for him and Fake Coworker to do so. When Fake Coworker strays from the plan, he immediately becomes much more menacing, dropping his amiable persona.

## Appearance

He retains a mostly put-together appearance almost exactly matching that of Protag's save for his sleeves, which are rolled up, and his tie, which is absent entirely. Also, his jacket is unbuttoned, and he is revealed to be wearing a black belt. He is always staring right at the Protag.

## Background

When they were first thrown into the elevator by a different Protag and Coworker duo, Fake Protag remained quiet and withdrawn. On Day 6, Fake Protag found the scissors in the vent, which he proceeded to hold onto.

On Day 34, Fake Coworker's attempt at conversation finally caused Fake Protag to snap. Fake Protag punched him while brandishing the scissors in his other hand, screaming at Fake Coworker all the while. At this point, the two's personalities seemed to switch, with Fake Protag now holding the authority over Fake Coworker. His unhinged disposition is largely due to the fact that he is technically a past version of Protag, meaning he also went through multiple deaths before getting trapped in the elevator. The fact that he has already gone through horrible situations but has been resurrected anyway made him truly believe that they could make it out of this.

When Protag and Coworker finally appear on Day ???, Fake Protag and Fake Coworker immediately perk up. In the Stranger Danger ending, Fake Protag is the only one to talk to Protag. He introduces both him and Fake Coworker before convincing Protag to let them join him and Coworker in the elevator. However, this was just a ploy to swap places with the other duo. In the ending CG sequence, Fake Protag grabs Protag's tie and throws him into the elevator. Before the door shuts, he is shown flipping Protag and Coworker off with a maniacal expression.

If you avoid the Stranger Danger ending, Protag will take to interrogating Fake Coworker rather than Fake Protag, much to Fake Protag's discomfort. In an attempt to make sure Fake Coworker does not give anything away, he attempts to shut him up with glares or directly interject into the conversation, but Fake Coworker eventually snaps. Fake Protag and Fake Coworker are then revealed to have been stuck in the elevator for an incredibly long time. The only definite unit of measurement they cite for the passage of time is that Fake Coworker's wrist watch ran out of battery "months ago." Besides the dead wrist watch, all the two have is the pair of scissors that Fake Protag found in the vent. When Protag tricks Fake Protag into handing over the scissors before locking them back in the elevator, Fake Protag yells, "No- No, I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL KILL YOU-" as he and Fake Coworker try to force open the door to no avail.

## Relationship

### Fake Coworker

Fake Protag has long since gotten tired of Fake Coworker and is now in a position where he has the authority in their relationship. When Protag and Coworker appear, Fake Protag takes it upon himself to introduce both him and Fake Coworker. He also immediately takes charge of the conversation, not giving Fake Coworker an opportunity to speak. He explocitly refers to Fake Coworker as a moron. If the player avoids the Stranger Danger ending, Fake Protag is forced to let Fake Coworker talk, but he is constantly shooting him glares or interjecting into the conversation. However, when Fake Coworker finally snaps, not even Fake Protag telling him to "Shut it" can stop him from revealing everything to Protag. They are last seen working together to try and break down the door when Protag traps them in it once again.

### Protag

In the Stranger Danger ending, Fake Protag engages Protag in very normal conversation about their surroundings up until he convinces Protag to let him and Fake Coworker join them in their elevator. He then throws Protag into the elevator before flipping him and Coworker off. After this ending, Fake Protag is slightly unsettled by Protag asking if he can speak to Fake Coworker directly. He attempts to take control of the conversation again, but Protag does not allow him to. Under the guise of agreeing to peacefully switch places, Protag convinces Fake Protag to hand over the scissors, to which Fake Protag is extremely grateful. However, when Protag apologizes moments later, Fake Protag becomes menacing again. Once the doors are shut, Fake Protag yells that he will kill Protag, which he is obviously unable to do.

An additional dialogue route has Protag continuing to push at Fake Protag rather than Fake Coworker, resulting in Fake Protag being the first one to snap. When Protag attempts to leave, Fake Protag pulls out a pair of scissors and starts screaming. Shortly after, the Stranger Danger ending occurs.

### Coworker

The only direct conversation they have is when Fake Protag asks for Protag and Coworker to introduce themselves, to which Coworker cheerfully gives his name. Fake Protag says it is great to meet them and then moves on. A possible dialogue option will also have Fake Protag call Coworker and Fake Coworker "morons," to which Coworker exclaims an offended "Hey!-". Additionally, Fake Protag flips both Coworker and Protag off in the final CG of the Stranger Danger sequence. Other than that, Coworker advises Protag to "crack the weaker one first" after the Stranger Danger ending, implying that he recognizes Fake Protag's leadership role in the other duo's relationship.

## Trivia

* As confirmed by Rachel in the official RachelDevsThis Discord, you receive the scissors from the doppelgangers rather than any other level because scissors represent duality and being made of two halves that look the same.
* The doppelgangers appear on floor 8 because 8 is a "loop number," becoming an infinity sign when turned onto its side.