The Avengers raced in their jet to reach their destination, unknowingly heading straight for Loki's trap.
"JARVIS, lock onto Reindeer Games's location." Iron Man ordered. There was no response. "JARVIS? You in sleep mode, buddy?"
"I've got him on the radar." Bruce lied. "1200 meters southeast."
"Something's wrong here: JARVIS never ignores me, that's more Natasha's favorite pastime." Iron Man told them.
"Loki might be using some kind of magic as interference." Captain America guessed. "Whatever the case, we can't let him get away again!"
After they landed, they looked around for the trickster. No one could spot him anywhere.
Suddenly, a voice rang telepathically through Bruce Banner's mind. "We've got them right where we want them: it is time to unleash the beast!" Bruce grimaced. "Get angry." Bruce began to grow huge and muscular, his skin turning green.
"Banner? Did you see him?" Captain America asked, wondering about the sudden transformation. But when the Hulk had fully emerged, all of the other Avengers saw it: the bright blue of the Mind Stone's control lighting up his normally green irises.
"No."
The Hulk roared, grabbed a huge chunk of glacier, and tossed it. Fortunately, the icy projectile flew past the Avengers, but they weren't as relieved when they saw it crash into their jet, their ride exploding into flames. Then the Hulk went after Agent Romanoff, still having a score to settle. As she swiftly dodged for dear life, Hawkeye shot a smokescreen arrow to give her cover.
"I know that look all too well." Hawkeye stated, remembering his own experience with Loki's mind games. He fired an explosive arrow right between Hulk's eyes, but when it hit its mark, he merely shook it off. The big brute glared at Hawkeye and leapt at him, pinning him to the ground. "Now break it!" Loki's voice commanded. Hulk reached for Hawkeye's bow and snapped it with his fingers like a toothpick. As the beast readied his fists to break the marksman in half next, Captain America and Iron Man grabbed him together. "Hit him on the head with your hammer now, Thor!" Cap yelled, as none of the others were strong enough for a strike to the head to make an impact on such a powerful creature. Thor spun his hammer and charged, but the Hulk bashed Iron Man and Captain America into each other and tossed them both towards Thor, his hammer barely missing his friends.
Loki peeked at his brother from his hiding spot. He snuck closer to the battlefield, ready to make his move.
Hulk turned again to Hawkeye to bash his head in, but Thor held his green arms back. Struggling to keep hold, Thor cocked his head back, preparing for a headbutt, until he felt a poke at his chest. Thor gasped, his pupils expanding to fill his entire eyes, to see Loki next to him with his scepter touching his heart.
"Oh no!" Iron Man exclaimed. The Avengers watched with shock and horror as Thor released his grip on the Hulk, now both under Loki's command.
Loki grinned. "Oh yes! I may no longer have an army, Stark, but now it is I who have a Hulk, and my idiot, musclebound brother on my side as well. Ehehehe, love the hair, Brother, by the way, it well matches your softness for these lesser beings."
"You just love to hear yourself talk, don't you?" Captain America remarked. "At least it's one more character flaw your brother doesn't have."
"And the fact that he's not a murdering psychopath." Iron Man added.
"Then clearly you don't know Thor like I do: let me show you the true god of thunder, before he took on this peace-loving facade!" Loki pointed to Captain America, and Thor began to charge at him, but he was quickly halted in his tracks. The others stared confused at Thor, who was frozen in place as if something was weighing him down.
Loki rolled his eyes when he figured it out. "Oh, that damned worthiness enchantment! Just drop the hammer and kill them all with your bare hands!" Loki scowled. Thor let go of Mjolnir and charged once more at the captain, who raised his shield against Thor's oncoming fist. Iron Man tried to help him, but Hulk threw him to the side like an old tin can. As the four powerhouse Avengers fought amongst themselves, the Black Widow snuck behind Loki, her eyes fixed on his scepter. Thor grabbed the shield and slammed it into the icy ground until it was stuck there. Then he tossed the super soldier in the opposite direction and walked up to him as he hit the side of a glacier.
Thor picked him up and slammed him back into the glacier, readying a punch to his face. As Loki watched the fighting, Agent Natasha Romanoff swiftly pounced to swipe the magical scepter, but to her surprise, her hand passed right through it. Loki's illusion faded while she tumbled to her feet. "I really hate magicians." Natasha groaned. She glanced around, trying to spot the real Loki, until she heard his voice echo around her. "Looking for me, Agent Romanoff?" Suddenly, the widow saw Loki pop up everywhere, his duplicates all laughing at her frustration.
As Thor continued to punch Cap's face, Iron Man was frantically firing his blasters at the icy landscape around the Hulk. "I know I can't smash you, big guy, but maybe I can get you to cool down for a while?" Stark sighed as his opponent shook the snow off him. "Or at least stall you until I can get JARVIS back up and running." He muttered to himself.
Hawkeye teamed up with Black Widow to find the real trickster, phasing through one duplicate at a time, but they couldn't begin to keep up with his duplication casting or his teleportation.
Thor grabbed Captain America by the throat, ready to finish him off. "You know Rogers, when first we met, you had me impressed, believing you to be a worthy opponent." Thor tightened his grip. "But it appears it was merely your shield that piqued my interest. 'Super soldier?' I think not. You're just as puny and weak as any mortal, and you'll die just the same."
"Ok, his brother may have had a point about him." Rogers thought. "Thor, don't do this: we're… your friends." He pleaded through his choking. "Don't… be like Loki. You're better than this. You… you've ch-changed…"
Thor smirked. "And I can change again." Steve Rogers reached out to his Asgardian friend, desperate to save him somehow. His vision began to fade as Thor prepared his final blow, but he was interrupted as something came speeding towards them, landing right in Rogers' open hand. The good captain's eyes widened to see himself wielding Mjolnir, his strength immediately returned to him in a brilliant flash of lightning. Thor gaped in amazement and disbelief as the super soldier pushed him back, staring him down. "Then I hope you're ready for round two."