Given all of the problems plaguing many of the patients within Landel's, it seemed unusual that Peter would be so interested in the condition of an individual he did not know, much less someone who bore the same face as the man who he claimed to be so contemptible and dangerous. Logically, it would not have been unthinkable for Peter to attempt to forge an alliance with him in an attempt to destroy or neutralize his roommate. While it was possible he intended to try to mislead Spock for his own purposes, he knew that it was just as likely that Peter was speaking to him out of some sort of moral obligation so as to not see anymore patients put into unnecessary danger at Gabriel's hands. The simple fact was that until there was more solid evidence indicating one or the other, he had no way of knowing for certain.

Now the matter was a question of whether Spock was going to delve into this any deeper than what Peter had told him. While neither himself nor his colleagues were in any immediate danger, if there was truth to Peter's story about this Elle's death, he knew he simply could not ignore the situation, either -- not only for the safety of his colleagues, but for anyone else who could become a victim. On the other hand, he had to prioritize his mission goals for the greater good. As he had decided earlier, the patient population was too large for him to become involved with rivalries and battles carried over from other people's homeworlds. Investing energy in pursuing what could just as well be little more than what humans called a red herring could be detrimental to their ultimate goal of finding a way home. However, the longer he spoke with Peter, the more he understood that assuming he was lying, or that Gabriel would not be an immediate threat if he was telling the truth, could be just as damaging in the long run.

"As you can see, I am uninjured," Spock told Peter. "Furthermore, thus far nothing has transpired between myself and my roommate to warrant any alarm. Should the situation change, however, I shall be sure to contact you as soon as I am able."

For the time being, Peter seemed willing to let the subject drop in favor of other topics of conversation. But he had made references to certain aspects of Gabriel that intrigued Spock too much to let an opportunity to inquire about them pass.

"You mentioned that, under normal circumstances, he uses telekinesis to murder his victims," Spock said. "Please elaborate on how he came to possess such capabilities."