They say that before the mammock, trains sped across the land aboveground, affording passengers beautiful views of forests and mountains as they journeyed.

But out Ali’s window was only blackness, interrupted occasionally by dimly lit rock walls.

Ali sat in a nearly empty train car across from his father, humming to himself.

Above his father’s head, Ali could see an LED sign with several burned out bulbs, which read “Bastion,” their destination.