Riddle 029: Where is the Father?

[questionauthority]

{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 predict the next question that's on your minds right now. "What's the catch?" Answer: I I'll be needing your help with a little summer project of mine. Here's your first clue as to what it might be.

“I cannot be seen and I weigh nothing,
But when put into a barrel, I make it lighter.”

What am I?

[It's just after finishing up with this little phone call that he gets his first good look at the calendar. Father's Day. Not exactly Edward's favorite day by any means, given his own relationship with his old man. Needless to say, his mood's been a little bit soured.

Throughout the rest of this lovely day, you're likely to run into the Riddler...

A: In the Backyard of 726 Anderson, sketching something out into a notebook.

B: Out for a drive in the Riddler-Mobile, to try and relax.

C: At Jonathan's Tools, loading up plenty of tools and building supplies into the back of his car.

Wherever he goes, he'll likely be sulking. Cheer him up? Help him out? He's all yours, ladies.]

Comments

A

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[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.livejournal.com]

[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?

C

[thatwhichcures.livejournal.com]

[Leo's not much of a lady, but the behavior of the drone females in his household is... more unsettling than usual. He's just muddling along home, minding his own business after failing to get his hands on anything that might possibly be more useful in class than an unlimited supply of construction paper and waxy never-dry clay.]

Need any help, friend?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

If you don't mind. [He gestures to a bag of power tools lined up on the curb before picking up another bag.] These can go in the trunk.

phone

[cramschoolgod.livejournal.com]

[She sounds peculiarly moved to answer this riddle.]

Space, perhaps. Or maybe a hole. Or some kind of invisible flame-- a hydrogen fire.

Or perhaps it could be more metaphorical than that. An experience or a feeling.

How are you, Mr. Nigma?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

Right on the nose as usual, Ms. Sasaki.

[And assuming she's responded once he's gotten a look at the calendar...]

I was having a good day.

phone

[gotmorbucks]

[Hmmmm...]

Helium? What, do you need balloons for something?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

No, Ms. Morbucks, not balloons. And we certainly won't be needing helium to inflate Luthor's ego any further.

[action]

[tapshoetomove.livejournal.com]

[Overhearing the riddle, Luke pipes up from somewhere nearby. He can't resist a riddle after all.]

The answer is a hole!

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

That's... [Wait, someone in his house who actually answers his riddles?] That's right, Luke.

phone

[uranophobe.livejournal.com]

... A hole?

[You have five seconds to convince him that this isn't the stupidest idea ever thought up by anyone ever.]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

Indeed, Jonathan.

[Give him some time, you know how much he loves drawing out his schemes.]

B.

[greatestmanll40.livejournal.com]

[At a stop sign, Lex will be walk toward the Riddler Mobile.]

We need to talk.

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Rolling down the window.]

What about?

Phone

[autocrossbowplz.livejournal.com]

[Edgar's not one to pass up a good riddle, and so he thinks about it for a bit, before responding.]

A hole seems like the likely answer.

That said, if that's meant to be a clue as to the nature of your project, it's rather vague. What good do you intend to achieve with a hole? I assume there's more to it than that, however.

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

Far more to it than that, friend. Tell me something. What does one do with holes?

B

[brbgoing2russia.livejournal.com]

I got it!

[1/2]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[skfhslkfhlsakfashf Skidding to a screeching halt.]

C.

[brotherseyes.livejournal.com]

[Those Liebert kids just have a habit of appearing next to you from seemingly nowhere, don't they, Eddie?]

That won't all fit.

And I know you know better than to try and dig a hole out of here, so I'm wondering what exactly is behind all of this.

[She frowns.]

You didn't tell me it was Susan you went after, either.

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Seriously, he needs to put some kind of tracker on you guys.]

My plan isn't nearly that idiotic.

...you know Susan?

A

[thinkwportals.livejournal.com]

Re: A

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Attention gotten. Though he's still in a bit of a sour mood, he'll head on over to the fence.]

Chell. What have you got there?

A

[demonoaths.livejournal.com]

A hole. What kind of simple riddle is this?! This is an insult to my 1.8 million EQ!

[Give him some more difficult riddles to answer, jeez.]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

...1.8 million IQ?

[This guy knows hyperbole when he hears it.]

B (of course)

[glowing-science.livejournal.com]

[Ema catches him at a light, tapping on the window of his car. She may or may not have something behind her back for him. Hooray for Father's Day.

She waves, giving him a smile.]

Got a minute?

(yea)

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Rolling down that window. He's always got a minute.]

What is it?

Phone

[bro-thel-fist.livejournal.com]

How do you go about weighing a hole, though?

[Being a smart ass, as always.]

[Filtered]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

We aren't going to be weighing one. We're going to be digging one.

[poisonivyforyou.livejournal.com]

Air, maybe? ...Or a hole.

What on Earth are you planning, Nigma?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

You're curious, aren't you, Pam? Intrigued at the possibilities, knowing that Gotham's cleverest criminal mastermind is hard at work once again.

Phone

[jaws5sonofjaws.livejournal.com]

Uhm, let me think...

Is it air?

It's always stuff you don't think about like that.

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[He makes a noise akin to that of a game show buzzer.]

Incorrect. Care to try again?

[Filter]

[godisachild.livejournal.com]

What's the project?

[Filter]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

Simple, really. We're going to build ourselves a new headquarters.