John C. Flinn III was a rogue human telepath, or "blip", who was captured by Psi Corps but later turned over to the Shadows to be used as a weapon. Flinn was captured by the Shadows and given cyberweb implants to make him compatible to serve as the central operating system of a Shadow vessel. He was placed into suspension in a sleeper tube and loaded onto the same vessel that carried around 100 other telepaths - including Carolyn Sanderson - through hyperspace to rendezvous with the Shadows' allies. He was rescued along with the others when the White Star engaged and captured the vessel.