Bruce lifted one hand to his face, tapping a finger against his chin. He hadn't honestly expected things to go so smoothly that Shaidra would simply comply with his request and send them back, but he hadn't anticipated her to show knowledge of things like atoms either. 
Doubt festered in the corner of his mind- Jeff was the only one with sights still on Zelriane's person, and yet Bruce hovered in midair in relative safety behind his chains, trying to communicate with the one who'd brought them here. If Jeff got fatally wounded and they were stranded in this pocket dimension despite his efforts, what then?

He shook his head again. There wasn't time to dwell on weighing his options. Zelriane was adamant about returning to the tower, presumably with Shaidra. If that happened, they could be stranded here anyway. He focused back on Shaidra's brief sentences, suspecting that some of them were recitations of things she'd been told rather than observations she'd made on her own. He couldn't say where that suspicion came from. It lingered nonetheless. 
[color=0072bc][i]'A nucleus and electrons?'[/i][/color] he wondered, his gaze wandering from Shaidra's black, curious eyes. He pondered what he, with his spinning chains, might look like to a mind like hers. Was [i]he[/i] the nucleus?

[color=0072bc][b]"Touching the nucleus might be dangerous."[/b][/color] he said, keeping his tone soft though his voice was deep. He wasn't trying to threaten her, but he just couldn't say for certain that she wouldn't try something... unusual. He bent down on one knee on his platform, letting it sink just a little lower in the air, and tightened the radius of his chains as they spun around him- he'd prefer to avoid mistakenly hurting her were she to jump and reach out. [color=0072bc][b]"It would,"[/b][/color] he paused, thinking of the right words. [color=0072bc][b]"Upset balance."[/b][/color]

Bruce's mind raced, staring into Shaidra's mask as if some key understanding could be pulled from behind it. He had no idea about cameras or what it referred to. The suspicion that she was reciting something she'd been told grew when he pondered what she'd said about their goal, their home. He could only assume that 'they' referred to the rest of the Order.
[color=0072bc][b]"Shaidra,"[/b][/color] he whispered, as though requesting to be let in on a secret. [color=0072bc][b]"What goal do you seek?"[/b][/color]