"...if you can sense it, you can manipulate it." Erik has pulled far larger and farther away metal in the satellite dish before this. "Perhaps there's something in the way?" Plastic perhaps.
Charles sits down finally, solidifying a bit. He wants to get this out before they were discovered again. "If this is a scenario played out as an illusion, then there must be a purpose. If you pull those metal pieces to you, someone out there is going to notice. And do something about it."