if (delegate == null) {
        return;
      }

      /*
       * If we're about to complete the TimeoutFuture, we want to release our reference to it.
       * Otherwise, we'll pin it (and its result) in memory until the timeout task is GCed. (The
       * need to clear our reference to the TimeoutFuture is the reason we use a *static* nested
       * class with a manual reference back to the "containing" class.)

  // have two requirements that significantly complicate their design.
  // 1. Cancellation should propagate from the returned future to the input future(s).
  // 2. The returned futures shouldn't unnecessarily 'pin' their inputs after completion.
  //
  // A consequence of these requirements is that the delegate futures cannot be stored in
  // final fields.
  //