October 2010 Google announces the development of self-driving cars. → November 2011 Sources reveal the existence of the top-secret research lab Google X. → April 2012 Project Glass is unveiled. → June 2012 Word leaks out that Google has created a virtual neural network that can teach itself by watching YouTube videos. → May 2013 Larry Page suggests setting aside part of the world so it can perform experiments that would otherwise be considered illegal. This becomes known as Google Island. → June 2013 Google announces Project Loon, an airborne system that can bring online connectivity to the entire world. → September 2013 Google launches the biotech spinoff Calico. Some say this leads to advances in human tissue generation. →

We merged into traffic, disappearing amongst the other cars. "It started with organizing information. Making things easy to find. Nobody knew how they were able to do it." A website here, a restaurant there. Humanity took it for granted, he said. All the information in the world, right at the click of a mouse.

"It seemed harmless. Then there was email. Maps. Directions. And all of it, just free."

The freeway lights whipped by, strobing the interior. I caught a glimpse of his face. There was something there, a mix of disgust and regret. "What happened?" I asked.

"In 2011 we found out they had a laboratory. Secret. Hidden. Working on what they called ‘moonshots.’" He veered onto the freeway interchange, heading north. The speedometer crept higher. "That’s when the projects started. Balloons that could create a network, anywhere in the world. Glasses that saw everything around you. A neural net that could teach itself. Just by watching cat videos."

"Who doesn’t like cat videos?"

"You’re missing the point!" He swerved hard right, bringing the car to a shuddering halt beneath an overpass. Killed the lights. Hiding. "What’s the date?"

I stammered. "Tuesday the 24th. June. "

"What year?"

He couldn’t possibly by serious… could he? "2014."

The driver smirked. "Then you know. These things. They’ve already happened." He dug shells out of his pockets, feeding them into the shotgun by feel. "Making cars that can drive themselves. Buying up military robots. Artificial intelligence. Just a small leap to hunting machines." He racked the shotgun. "They were building a system. One that was just waiting to be turned on."

"I still don’t understand what this has to do with me."