Raumr Halson was indeed willing to give aid to them; as the stout oak door opened and he looked out, he took one look at Thor and his eyes grew wide.

"My lord," he said quietly, swinging the door open and bowing his head before glancing out at the dark street. "Enter quickly, the nights are patrolled."

He watched with interest as the Avengers all followed Thor into the small house, and then shut the door behind him. "My prince Thor and the Lady Sif, welcome to you and all your friends," he said. "Please, make yourselves at home while I awaken my wife so that we may provide food and drink for you."

"Thank you, Halson," Thor said. "I wish we were in different times, so that I might reward your hospitality. But I am afraid there are matters of pressing import, and your loyalty will have to be rewarded later."

"My lord, reward is needless," Raumr said. "Your presence is a great honor, and brings much hope in these troubled times."

With that, Raumr bowed his head once more and left the small room, returning a few moments later with a lady, who bowed to Thor and the Avengers.

"My wife, Myrune," Raumr said.

"My Prince, you are welcome here," Myrune said. "It is an honor to have you, and the Lady Sif. What news do you bring from the castle, My Lady?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Sif said. "For I was put in the dungeons only two nights ago, and had no word before I found myself here tonight, by magic unknown to me."

"Two nights ago?" Raumr said. "My lady, how can this be, as the city has been searching for you these past seven days?"

Sif looked stunned. "Seven days?" She repeated. "What is your meaning!?"

"Your miraculous escape confounded the enemies of the Castle, and they have been searching for you these past seven days," Raumr said, frowning in bewilderment.

"It seems you were gone even longer than we thought, Thor," Bruce said. "The three days since you left, and the seven days Sif has been missing. You've been gone ten days."

"Our 'Mystery' friend strikes again," Tony added. "So, Raumr, tell us about what has occurred within the last seven days. You said the streets are patrolled?"

"Aye," Raumr said, as he and Myrune stepped over to the kitchen portion of the small room, still talking as they gathered wooden plates and goblets. "After the Lady Sif vanished from her cell, the enemies of the castle sent out soldiers of great number into the city, some to search, some to guard, and some to spread fear into the hearts of the people. They have taken many of the loyal families prisoner, we barely escaped their notice. They do not count us as people of note, fortunately, and we were spared."

"These enemies," Clint spoke up. "What are they? What do they look like, what do they call themselves? What do they want with the city?"

"They appear to be Asgardians, but I do not believe it to be their true form," Raumr said, placing a plate of bread and cheese in front of Thor, and another in front of Sif. Myrune came behind with plates for Tony and Natasha, hesitating before setting Tony's plate down, as he was still wearing his helmet and she could see no mouth. Finally just setting it down, she returned to the kitchen.

"You mean, you think they're shape-shifters?" Steve asked.

"I know not," Raumr stated, placing a plate in front of Steve, who mumbled a thank you. "But there is a magic about them that speaks of those who change appearance." Raumr filled one of the goblets and handed it to Thor, before looking down. "There is more, my lord," he said. "In your absence, and in the light of the good king's untimely death, Loki has been named King of Asgard, in the name of the new guard, but we have not seen or heard from him since."

"Loki?" Thor asked, frowning. "And is he the source of the beam as well?"

"I assume so, yes," Raumr said, pouring more drink for the other Avengers, as Myrune set down two more plates in front of Bruce and Clint. "But I do not believe he does it willingly."

"They control him!?" Thor exclaimed angrily, clenching his fist. "I will have their heads, on my life!"

"Peace, my prince," Myrune said gently. "You shall have your day of vengeance."

Thor softened. "You are wise, kind lady," he said. "Raumr, do you know what they want with my brother?"

Raumr sighed. "I am afraid not, my lord," he said. "There has been no word from the enemy since they announced Loki's kingship. Many are ill at ease upon the appearance of the beam of light, and the king's death is a heavy burden on our hearts. But your return has brought hope to me, and it shall bring hope to the people of Asgard!"

Thor nodded. "Aye," he said. "If only I could find some hope for myself."

"My prince, do not speak such words," Myrune said. "Look to Mjolnir. For as long as you can hold it in the glory of battle, thunder will strike fear into the hearts of our enemies, and hope shall remain."

Thor seemed heartened by this, and he smiled. "Thank you, Lady Myrune," he said. "Again, you have shown your wisdom."

Suddenly, everyone at the table stiffened, and Tony looked around. "What?" he asked.

Without a response, everyone stood from table and walked quietly to the door, opening it and stepping outside.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Tony asked, following them. Outside, he saw doors opening on every house on the street. People were flooding the road, and as one, began walking towards the castle.

"JARVIS, what's happening?" Tony demanded.

"Inconclusive," JARVIS stated. "They appear to have been hypnotized somehow."

Tony looked around, looking for Bruce. He was walking behind Steve. Tony stepped forward to get a closer look at his eyes. They were blue.

"Oh no," he said. "JARVIS, bring up the information gathered about Loki's scepter. Theorize the possibility of mass mind control, at least citywide."

"Yes sir," JARVIS said, as Tony walked alongside the Avengers. He knew he had to keep them from reaching the palace, but shuddered to think what measures he might have to take.

"Sir," JARVIS said. "Theoretically speaking, the scepter had to be in close proximity to the controlled to initiate said control. The same effect could be reproduced on a citywide scale, provided enough of the comprising elements were placed in strategic locations on Asgard. A transmission of control would then have to be sent from one location to disperse among the others, encompassing the city and creating a field of control."

"The green light beam," Tony guessed.

"That would be my assumption, sir," JARVIS agreed. "However, the dispersing of the field of control would theoretically weaken the control on an individual, although to what extent, I am unsure. Judging by the current level of unresponsiveness, however, I think it is safe to assume that the control does not go too deep. It is currently no more than surface control."

"They sacrificed quality for quantity," Tony noted. "Never a good idea. How come I wasn't effected?"

"It appears the element causing the control is an airborne form," JARVIS said. "It is most likely gaseous. Your mask likely filtered out the offending toxin."

"Ah, I knew I installed the AC for a reason," Tony noted. "How would I wake up the others?"

"According to Agent Romanoff, cognitive recalibration awakened Agent Barton from extensive control," JARVIS supplied. "Perhaps if you were to engage one of the Avengers in combat, it would awaken them."

"Got it, punch Bruce," Tony said.

"Sir, I would not advise-"

Tony reached out and punched Bruce. Not very hard, of course, as he was wearing the suit, and not in the face, he aimed for the shoulder. But even though he pulled his punch by quite a bit, Bruce was knocked hard to the ground.

Tony hissed in sympathy. "JARVIS," he said. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"Ow!" Bruce yelled, his eyes snapping not to brown, but to green.

"Mayday," Tony said. "Brucey, stay with me."

"Tony," Bruce growled, squeezing his eyes shut and clutching at his head. "Why!?"

"Uh, JARVIS told me to do it," Tony said. "You were being controlled. Cognitive re-calibration, you know."

"Well, it was stupid," Bruce said bluntly, opening his eyes. They were still a bit green, but they were fading. "You're lucky I have so much control."

"Great, help me with the others," Tony said, turning to where the other Avengers were still walking slowly down the street.

"...Wow," Bruce said. "Well, this is just great." Getting to his feet, he brushed off his jacket. "I'm not gonna be much help in the punching department," he said. "But be a bit more careful with Clint and Natasha. Us regular people can't handle it."

"Got it, I'll get Steve first. He can handle the ninjas." With that, Tony went over to Steve and again pulled his punch. Steve just stumbled back a few steps and kept walking. Tony turned and looked at Bruce, holding a hand up in indication. Bruce chuckled and shrugged.

"Okay, I'm actually gonna hit him," Tony said, delivering a solid hit to Steve's jaw. This time, Steve fell back too, letting out a yell and clutching his jaw. He looked up at Tony in confusion. "Tony?" he asked. "What-? ...What happened? Why are we in the street?"

"Mind control," Tony said. "Get on your feet, Spangles, and wake up Clint and Natasha. I'll get Thor."

Steve got to his feet dazedly and looked around as Tony moved to punch Thor. The god didn't so much as blink, instead continuing to walk. "Wow, really?" Tony asked. "Fine then. JARVIS, increase strength in the left gauntlet by .0015%."

"Yes sir," JARVIS stated.

"Whoa," Tony heard Steve say behind him, and he turned to see Steve standing in the road, an expression of awe on his face.

"Cap?" Tony said. "Uh, pay attention. Middle of a crisis here? Did you get Arachnia and Big Bird yet?"

"Look at Clint," Steve said instead of answering. "It looks like he's fighting it himself!"

Tony did a double-take. It did look like Clint was fighting the control himself; standing still in the middle of the road, his eyes and fists were clenched, and he was shaking.

"...Clint?" Bruce asked, stepping forward. "Clint, can you hear me?"

Clint sputtered some unknown syllable, and Steve shook his head in amazement. "Unbelievable," he said. "Clint, fight it, you can fight it."

"Tony," Bruce said. "Keep trying to get Thor. We've got this."

Tony nodded and turned, seeing that Thor had made it about half a block away already. No trouble to catch up with, since he was wearing the suit and all, but the thunderer was definitely moving faster than most of the other Asgardians.

Speaking of which…

Turning, Tony hit Raumr firmly on the jaw. The man sputtered awake, he had apparently not been too far under the influence of the controlling spell.

"...Uh, Raumr," Tony said, suddenly realizing he had no idea how to explain the situation. The god looked at him in befuddlement, so Tony plowed through anyway. "Everybody's being controlled and hypnotized," he said. "I woke you up pretty easily, so they must not be targeting you. Go ahead and wake up your wife, and then if you could kindly awaken Lady Sif. I have to go, Thor's in trouble."

Raumr nodded. "C-Certainly, my lord," he said, looking around for Myrune.

"Uh, Tony's fine," Tony said. "Or Iron Man. Or your excellency, if that's more up your alley. Anyway… take care."

With that, he sped over and landed in front of Thor.

"Alright, buddy," Tony said. "Let's see how strong their hold is on you…" With his new strength in his left gauntlet, Tony punched as hard as he could. Thor pushed past him and continued walking.

Tony worried his bottom lip, he didn't want to hit too hard. The god might be durable, but everyone had their limits, and being hit while you were otherwise indisposed didn't stop you from feeling it later. "JARVIS, increase by another .0015%," he stated, again hitting Thor, this time eliciting a response, when Thor stumbled back a few steps before shaking his head and continuing on his way.

Tony huffed. "Okay," he said. "Playtime's over. JARVIS, up .1%, both gauntlets."

"Are you sure about this sir?" JARVIS asked.

"Fire it up," Tony said. Then, he rushed Thor to a nearby wall, crashing through it and rolling to the ground of what appeared to be a vegetable garden. He hadn't been expecting the trip, this move usually stopped at the wall, but so much the better. Having the upper hand, Tony punched Thor in the jaw, hesitating before delivering a second punch when Thor still seemed unresponsive.

Suddenly, Thor's fist shot up and punched Tony in the jaw of the suit, knocking him off. Landing on his feet, Tony stumbled for a second before catching his balance. Thor groaned and stood up, holding his jaw. "Iron Man?" he asked, looking around. "Say, what are we doing out in the night? Are these carrots? I am covered in dirt!" Then he caught sight of the wall and his eyes grew wide. "Did I do that?" He asked.

Tony laughed. "Good to have you back, Thor."

Thor frowned. "Where was I?"

"Tony!" Tony turned to see Bruce running up to him. "Clint did it," he said. "He broke free. He and Steve are working on Natasha right now."

Hearing a crash and a yell nearby, Tony nodded, pursing his lips. "Yup," he said. "I believe it."

Returning to the scene, Tony saw Steve ducking numerous sluggish attacks from the Black Widow, while Clint ran up behind her and grabbed her wrists. "Tasha," he said. "Fight it! You can do it!"

Natasha grunted and pulled free from Clint, turning to attack back, and Tony realized what was wrong. Steve, being the gentleman he was, wouldn't hit a woman if his life depended on it. Clint, however, wasn't going to hit Natasha, not while she had a chance to fight it herself. He didn't want her to feel the same guilt he'd been feeling since the Helicarrier accident, but even with Natasha's amazing skill and abilities, she was obviously under more control than he had been, and without having felt the power of the scepter before, had never had a way to know just how powerful it was. She was unprepared to fight it.

As he watched this, he realized it was up to him to be the bad guy. "Clint," Tony said. "We don't have time for this. You're the only one she trusts to do this. So just do it!"

Clint narrowed his eyes, but nodded, obviously unhappy yet willing to follow directions. "Distract her," he said.

"Hey, Natashalie," Tony said without hesitation, flying towards her with as much flashiness as he could muster. "Smile."

Predictably, Natasha glanced at the movement and turned to counter Tony's attack, but the control making her movements slow and easily dodged. Clint saw his window and moved in for the strike, hitting her with his bow so hard that the string snapped.

Natasha fell, Clint catching her before she could hit the ground. Sif, Raumr and Myrune came running up, along with six or seven others, and Tony noted that they had taken the time to free a few other Asgardians, warriors if their muscles had anything to say about it.

"Oh my," Myrune said upon seeing Natasha. "Was she injured?"

"Nothing a little rest and home remedies can't cure, I hope," Tony said. "Now, let's get back to the house before we're caught. With all the ruckus we made, any patrollers around will be on their way."

"Right," Sif nodded. "Asgardians, you're with me. We're going to keep waking the others. Njordr, you take a group down towards the edge of the city. The rest of you, with me! Keep a weather eye out for trouble."

"Sif," Thor said, stepping forward. "What of I?"

Sif smiled. "Go with your friends," she said. "I know you would have your hammer upon the heads of every enemy here. But as heir to the throne of Asgard, you must keep hidden. We do not know to what lengths the enemy will go to take you captive."

Thor nodded. "Very well," he said. "You are right, of course."

He bowed his head sadly, and Sif hesitated before placing her hand on his shoulder. "Thor," she said quietly. "You are strong. And I will do everything I can to help you."

Thor gave her a sad smile. "Thank you," he said. He took her hand from his shoulder and held it in his for a moment. His smile became a bit more real, and she smiled in return before slowly pulling her hand away and walking off with the others into the night.