He had made it to the Finals. He had almost won. But he did not care. Congratulations. Pride. Fame. He really didn't care. He was racing for something else. It was 8 pm. The Red City was going crazy. The Composium was packed.

He sat down at one of the tables in the Finalists' Corner, a suspended terrace overlooking the South Quarters of the Swimming Grounds. Never-ending sight of never-ending shimmering waters. Displays everywhere, sounds getting louder and louder, cheers ascending in the air. Wafts of salt water. A commotion on the left hand-side, and Ananda was there, beaming.

"Oh, hey Ananda, your race was awesome. Congrats, you've been amazing!"

"Oh thanks Jay," she said, giving him a friendly hug, "I was impressed by what you've done too, you know. Only 6 months of practice, and you make it to the Challengers' Finals! You really are a strong dude!" Saying so, she pinched Jay's strong biceps and burst out laughing. Her cheeks were pink, and she couldn't stop smiling. "By the way, have you seen Star? I really want to wish him good luck before he starts," she said, lowering her voice and slowing down her speech.

"Not sure we'll get to see him before he dives. He's in this Focus Area thing, you know..."

"Oh damn! Well, we'd better celebrate and drink to his health. I'm sure he's gonna win!"

She summoned two red fizzy beverages dancing in stemmed glasses. Although no illness-inducing substances were ever ingested, Jay felt the mix of spices and juices setting his blood on a kind of fire similar to the result of old-school spirits.

Just what I need.

He indulged in the unusual feeling of letting go. Loosening his muscles. Relaxing his shoulders. Taking in the rising ambient atmosphere of jubilation. He noticed the beautiful girls around him. Well, everyone looked beautiful and healthy, anyway. He became aware of the fever among the spectators. Movements were quicker and more careless. Ananda was constantly interrupted by innumerable passers-by, friends and admirers. Jay realized that himself was approached by many people. Asking questions. Congratulating. Offering drinks. It was all a dance, an elated, noisy, infectious dance.

Then an explosion, an eruption. A dense flow of people getting up and rushing towards the entrance of the Finalists' Corner. Laughs, shouts, oohs and aahs. Starling had made his appearance. He was heading towards the Preparation Chambers, but obviously, his route wasn't going to be easy and straight.

Jay and Ananda stood up and walked towards him. Ananda was holding Jay's arm and hurrying first, leading him through the crowd. Cheeks glowing, eyes fixed on Starling, she called out:

"Star, hey, Star..."

Starling turned towards his friends and waved at them. "Hey, I'm..." He couldn't finish his sentence, assaulted by a pack of excited fans who had been aiming at him. Before she could do anything about it, Ananda was ruthlessly pushed aside by a very feminine crowd begging for autoprints.

"Starling...hey Mr Kite...could you give us an autoprint, pleeeeaaaase?"

The Finalist stopped in his tracks and kindly complied with the demand, gently pressing his thumb on the girls' sleeves, while Ananda stood glaring at him. Knitting her eyebrows and thinning her lips, she suddenly headed back to her table without paying any more attention to either of her friends.

Starling eventually took leave, giving an eye wink to Jay and beckoning in vain to Ananda, who seemed genuinely engrossed in a conversation with a bunch of guys from the Water Department. The minute the diver disappeared, she stared at the giggling girls who were enthusiastically talking and comparing the small tokens of appreciation bestowed by Starling.

"Look at them, bunch of dumb heads. Not even realizing he's risking his neck in that competition."

"I thought you wanted to wish him luck, Nanda. Why didn't you tell him?"

"Wouldn't like to snatch Mr Handsome from his beloved admirers!" retorted Ananda. "No wonder he's attracting silly stupid chicks!"

Jay thought it was probably better not to follow Ananda on that ground. Besides, she looked really daunting. He summoned a new set of those red intoxicating beverages, but didn't dare propose a toast to Starling.

With that, time flew in a crescendo of elation and noise, until it was late evening. The long-distance swim contest was finally over. Food was passed around, people danced and sang. The most awaited part of the competition was announced, and the first finalist, Ama, appeared on the displays, standing in a far-off area of the Swimming Grounds, where natural abysses allowed for the deepest and wildest possible session of free diving. She soon became a creature of the depths, fascinating all the spectators and breaking the previous record. Things were becoming even more challenging for Starling. She came up to the surface again, triumphant, stable, unharmed. After a short time spent with the Medicators, she shook Starling's hand, and retreated to the Focus Area.

Starling... All of a sudden, after a loud cheer that ran through the entire crowd and resonated over the Grounds, silence fell. Everyone was gazing again at the displays, focusing on the very place where Starling had just jack-knifed upside down. The only vibration in the air now was that of the speaker's voice, and its pace was slackening. Thousands and thousands of people were religiously staring at the strong, solid frame of that man who was commencing his descent. Jay heard some people counting in unison with the speaker. At twenty meters down, he stood up and moved slowly back to the far end of the terrace. No one noticed him.

So far, so good.

While walking carefully, brushing past many legs and arms, Jay kept looking at the screens. Starling was going down steadily, following a single line, touching it almost carelessly. The waters were blue, and tiny little bubbles were dancing merrily around him, moving with the currents.

Silently, melting with the crowd, Jay kept retreating until he reached the main entrance to the Swimming Grounds.

Thirty meters. Starling is moving effortlessly. An aquatic breeze is making his blond hair undulate softly. His hands are gliding gracefully down the cable.

Jay embraces the view around him, mesmerized by the stillness of all these people. What are they expecting, exactly? Meter after meter, the speaker is taking the spectators down under with Starling. Jay finds a glider and the scene evaporates swiftly.

Forty-five meters. On the displays, Starling hovers for a few fractions of a second before continuing his descent. He is not hesitating though, probably just enjoying the moment.

Jay reaches the Station. His friend is moving slowly on all the screens, like a leaf free-falling from a tree. Those who couldn't make it to the Swimming Grounds are sitting there, spread everywhere, staring at the diver. Jay is advancing too. Step by step, he's making it near the entrance of the Department of Water.

No one 's noticing me.

Sixty meters down. The waters are getting darker. The bubbles are bright and dazzling in the lights that are pursuing Starling, contrasting with the night that is falling upon him. The spectators don't move. Not batting an eyelash. Not drawing a single breath.

Jay is hurrying his steps. Going through the Department of Water is easy. There is not a living soul there. All he hears is the far-off commentary of the speaker, so loud that it resonates through the vast empty buildings.

Dear fellows, Starling Kite is unexpectedly gathering speed. Reaching ninety meters now. Let's hope this strategy will be a bonus and not an impediment. Shall I remind you that Ama Pearl has just broken the previous record by reaching an amazing 145 meters? But Starling Kite's descent is much quicker for the moment, which brings him an extra ten points for each second gained.

Jay is leaving his department. He is now going past the Department of Transportation, a series of work-spaces glittering in the dark: a silent place receiving only echoes of the speaker's talk.

105 down...silent journey towards unwelcoming territories...possible nitrogen narcosis...amazing athlete...

From now on it is the unknown. Jay has never been there, but he knows precisely where to go. Starling's instructions were sharp and clear. He is moving away from the Developing Departments in the direction of the Technical Services, in the depths of the Composium. Stepping on an Ascender, he uses the relevant codes to head to the Supply Department.

113 meters. Starling's face has become deadly pale, and his cheeks are getting flat. He is surrounded by twilit waters. Veils of artificial light are wrapping around him in a wondrous waltz.

Jay is going down frantically now, pushing the Ascender to its limits. He watches the levels go by, thousands of windows and smaller offices flitting past. He is wondering about all these areas he has never seen before. Silence has become so thick that he can hear his own breath.

Starling is slowing down, holding the line a little more firmly. The waters are as black as ink. 125 meters, announces the speaker. 126...

Underground, level Twenty-Two. As he steps out of the Ascender, Jay is snatched up by darkness. Guided by his suit light, he follows a long corridor. Then another one. And another one. Why is this level so dark? A buzzing noise reaches his ears. He is getting closer. The engine rooms are not far. The place is getting really warmer too.

135 meters. In the cold dim waters, Starling waves methodically to the attention of the displays, holding up his thumb. A shiver goes through the watching crowds. Smiling faces. Countless whispers. 138... He is accelerating slightly again.

Level Twenty-Four. Imprinting a code on the gates, Jay enters a dark room, full of various machinery. It almost looks like an ancient tech cemetery. The engines a few levels above send vibrations all over the place and through his tense body. In the silence, Jay suddenly feels a pang in his heart. It is the most extraordinary thing, to want something so badly, and to crave for a run in the opposite direction. A rush of anger and desperation traverses his body. Breathing is essential, slowly, deeply, or he'll get caught in no time. He is not free, this he can't forget.

145 meters. Starling seems frozen in time. His slow gestures are fascinating, and B24's entire population is choking. His whole body melts with the surrounding darkness, and he keeps descending, though not for long now. He feels his body light and heavy, his head is aching but he has never been so clear-minded. He thinks he is going to reach something. Somehow he will never stop holding his breath.

After stumbling and fumbling, groping for a little crevice, he finally finds it. When the door opens, Jay steps in the room. The light rushes in. He falls down on his knees.

145... 146... Starling is weightless. He is flying, a ghostly bird in a liquid sky. But it is over. He hears the alarm. He wakes up to the real world. He must ascend now, to the surface and to the noise. To where he cannot fly.

Ooooh, he has done it. Ama's record is broken. 147 meters! Now let's hope for a safe journey back. Ladies and gentlemen, time for a breather. Soon it will be skandalopetra wrestling time.