Riddle 029: Where is the Father?

[puzzlerprince]

{First, a public phone call, filtered from drones.]

Hello again, Mayfield. I've been noticing plenty of new faces around town as of late. Plenty of people with plenty of questions.

Every question has an answer, friends---I can guarantee you that. And I, Edward Nigma, can help you find all of these answers. And more. Now, I'm sure I can already

Comments

A

[strike_you_out]

[Ever get that feeling like something vaguely malicious is staring over your shoulder? There's a reason for that. Should Edward glance up, he'll find his "son" perched on a tree limb and grinning down at him like something out of Alice in Wonderland.]

[puzzlerprince]

[It doesn't take much longer before Edward notices him, to which he simply gives the boy a look.]

What are you doing up there?

[strike_you_out]

Watching.

What are you doing?

[puzzlerprince]

Working.

[And back to sketching. If you glance over his shoulder, you'll probably catch glimpses at what appear to be rather large interior designs.]

[strike_you_out]

[When Slugger next speaks, his voice comes from close behind.]

On what?

[Blueprints are something he's never seen before. It all looks like random shapes to him.]

[puzzlerprince]

[He turns to face Slugger.]

If you must know, I'm sketching out just what the inside of our new headquarters is going to look like.

[strike_you_out]

[Headquarters? This must be the 'summer project' Edward was going on about. Slugger looks at the drawings once again, closer this time, then glances up and around the yard.]

You're building it in the yard?

[puzzlerprince]

[Edward shakes his head, smirking.]

Not exactly.

[He taps his foot against the ground for emphasis.]

[strike_you_out]

Under the yard?

How?

[puzzlerprince]

A simple question with an even simpler answer.

We dig.

[strike_you_out]

[There comes a time in every man's life when he must explain to his "son" how a ditch becomes a functional secret evil headquarters.]

Won't it need a ceiling?

[puzzlerprince]

Picture this, Slugger.

On the surface, it will appear to the rest of the town as though we're in the process of installing a swimming pool. Who wouldn't be, in a hot summer like this? But deep underground, beneath the pool? Our headquarters. Our base of operations.

[strike_you_out]

Who will build it?

[puzzlerprince]

We will, of course. I've already put out a call to the Legion and to the whole of the town. We'll find new recruits, and we'll assemble a proper team to dig, excavate, and create.

[strike_you_out]

[...Unless someone knows what they're doing, this is probably going to create multiple casualties, isn't it?

Exciting.

Grinning, Slugger points to a section of the drawing that's separated from the rest.]

What's this?

[puzzlerprince]

That? [That, Slugger, would just happen to be a setup for what appears to be a private room. Perhaps a personal study of some sort?] That's none of your business.