The end of the arc in volume 2 and the prologue of the series, this vol further explores the crazy relationship between Naoto and Marie, as they encounter their biggest pinch so far, facing off a psychopath hellbent on taking revenge on the unfairness of the world.
This volume actually takes on a more philosophical path, as the characters question the setting and the crazy talents the protagonists display, which may seem like a drag at times but the action and character interaction really make up for things.
The climax here is really great too, as the story forces the protagonists to literally combine each other's strengths to overcome the crisis, in the form of nearly 6 pages of compressed technobabble laced with existential questions and JNC amazingly does a great job with translating everything out and putting them in images to preserve the formatting!
Clockwork Planet's 3 volumes may not be perfect and the setting can seem to be a little overbearing at times, but hell, this is a god damn great escapist piece of sci-fi that entertains and makes me think at the same time.