8. Second Chance

Complete story — includes the ending

Pete and Myka are sent to Dalton, West Virginia, when a man begins to rust. The culprit turns out to be a boxer and steelworker, Cody Bell, who has shrapnel from Spartan armor lodged next to his heart from his time serving overseas in the Marines. After saving his father from death, the shrapnel has been activated, leading Cody to inadvertently harm people when he gets angry. Unable to remove the shrapnel from a remorseful Cody without killing him, Myka instead injects the neutralizing gel directly into his system, successfully neutralizing it and stopping the shrapnel's effects; Myka blackmails the local greedy mill owner into reopening the plant, saving the town. At the same time, based on a clue left behind by a previous user of the Metronome, Claudia and Steve visit Steve's home to release him from the Metronome. Steve is revealed to have been estranged from his mother due to a difference of opinion over his sister's murder. The two reconcile and Steve is finally released when he destroys the Metronome in order to save his mother's life, an act of pure love. Artie, Leena, H.G., and Mrs. Frederic work together to find ways to stop Brother Adrian. Mrs. Fredric eventually has H. G take the astrolabe and hide it while Mrs. Fredric attempts to negotiate with the Brotherhood. Artifacts: Spartan Armor Shrapnel, Johann Maelzel's Metronome, Ferdinand Magellan's Astrolabe