You know how the fourth chapter of Heroes is called "Fugitives"? It starts in episode 14, and here are our first clues, from a casting call. The show is looking for an Iranian paramedic named Malik, who is assigned to work with a "rather peculiar partner." (Peter, maybe? Or Matt?) And then there's Lauer, the superstar anchor of a major network, who has a high-profile interview with a politician. And finally, there's a four-to-six-year old kid, with brown hair, who's startled by a passing stranger as he rides his tricycle. (The kid may be a recurring role. Could it be one of our heroes as a youngster?)

Also Greg Grunberg says he's recently filmed some desert scenes in an area filled with paintings of Matt's various actions throughout the course of Heroes. Despite being stranded in Africa, Matt will continue to co-parent Molly with Mohinder. But now that Mohinder is a Brundle-ized freakazoid, Matt and Mohinder may have some conflicts over parenting her.

It sounds like a badass FBI agent (along the lines of Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugutive) will turn up in the second half of this season, "Fugitives."

Another casting call for volume four, "Fugitives." The show is seeking a military pilot involved in a top-secret government operation, to appear in episodes 14 and 15.

Zeljko Ivanek, who just won an Emmy for Damages, will be joining Heroes later this season. He'll appear in a multi-episode arc as a character named the Hunter.

The second half of Heroes season four, "Fugitives," will be huge and epic, promises star Greg Grunberg. All of the heroes are "working together and on the run because there's this looming power that wants us gone."

And who could that looming power be? Well, there's one clue. Producer Jesse Alexander posted in his Flickr stream pictures of a cargo plane, labeled "Villain Transport." Who is this villain, and why does he/ she need such a big plane? (Perhaps, through the miracle of filming, the plane will appear to be complete. Or maybe it's just a piece of a plane for a reason.) Also, it sounds as though Arthur Petrelli will be in the show through at least episode 9.

[W]e'll meet another new character — David, a dark and twisted kid who lies easily. Maybe he's Sylar's new apprentice, and he also may be one of the characters on the run from The Hunter (Zeljko Ivanek). David will be played by Dan Byrd, from Aliens In America and Clubhouse.

Also, episode 16, the third episode of the "Fugitives" storyline, will feature a guard in a high-security prison facility. And we'll also meet a 50-ish balding guy with long stringy hair, who could pass as a member of Z.Z. Top or Michael Bolton. He's in a diner, and he gets attacked by something mysterious.

Work on volume four, "Fugitives," is roaring ahead. Now the superpowered soap opera is seeking someone to play a computer analyst at a high security facility in episode 16. (The casting call is very specific about how tall this person should be, making me wonder if one of our heroes changes clothes with him.)

Rumor has it that Hiro Nakamura will die sometime before the end of the season — probably during the "Fugitives" arc. That would get rid of the show's annoying time travel escape clause, except that Peter can still do it. In any case, it's just a rumor for now, but Tim Kring has hinted that a major character won't make it to the end of the season.

Next spring's "Fugitives" chapter will reveal more about Sylar's past, and his struggles. Meanwhile, Sylar won't sacrifice himself to stop Arthur. We'll find out what happened to Molly in the Season three DVD deleted scenes. And the Haitian will be the key to stopping Arthur — which makes sense, since he already stopped Arthur once.

The "Fugitives" arc is roaring ahead — the show is already casting episode 18 of the season. And it sounds like we're going to meet a family of dark haired, brown-eyed caucasian people: a sinister father in his 30s or 40s, a mother in her late 20s or 30s trying to protect her son, and a boy aged three or four. A Petrelli flashback to when Nathan was little? Or some new characters?

We'll also meet a computer worker in his 30s, who's responsible for monitoring classified information. And a male FBI agent who's taking part in a classified military operation. And finally a reporter who's reporting on a huge story from the field.

And Jack Coleman says episode 17, "Cold Wars," will be a huge turning point for HRG, along the lines of "Company Man" or "Cautionary Tales." There's a kidnapping and "mental interrogation," and it's a psychological thriller. "If you miss it, you will be hunted down and... rehabilitated," Coleman says.

Another set of set pics from next spring's "Fugitives" arc. Remember how we heard that you'll be surprised by who's doing the chasing, and who's being chased? Looks like one of the people doing the hunting is our buddy Sylar.

Here are some set pics from the "Fugitives" arc, probably the same one that has commando Sylar. Looks like Mohinder is back to "normal," and he and his co-dad Matt have patched things up. Are they helping to hunt down the fugitives, or are they on the run? Either way, I welcome the return of the Matthinder bromance. [Heroes Spoilers]

Also, those pics from last week, showing Sylar in swat gear carrying a young guy with a Darth Vader thing on his chest? Seems like the young guy is David, the angsty new teen character, who is rumored to be Sylar's new apprentice.

The superpowered angst-a-thon will get less confusing next spring, when its "Fugitives" arc launches. Instead of six ongoing storylines per episode, there'll only be three or four. It'll be more like the way it was in season one. Honest.

More hints that a lot of regular characters will drop dead in the "Fugitives" arc — apparently this is related to the fact that the show is looking to cast someone in his forties to play a member of a bomb squad, who's called in to defuse "an explosive situation."

Also, Greg Grunberg says episode 3.17 is a huge episode for Matt Parkman, and all the Heroes are on the run together from Hunter and his team. The Heroes have to use their powers, together and individually, to escape from Hunter. And we will see Molly again this season.

Also, One Tree Hill/West Wing vet Moira Kelly will be playing a Homeland Security agent in at least one episode of the "Fugitives" arc. And another recurring character is Luke, played by Aliens In America's Dan Byrd. Luke has the power to generate microwaves strong enough to fry people. He goes on the road with Sylar seeking adventure, but will probably end up de-brained. And the upcoming death we mentioned, which derails a big love story? It's not Elle, but rather another recently introduced blonde hottie. (Daphne???? Or maybe Tracy.) And Claire finally does get to step up and be a big player in the fight against evil, in an upcoming episode.

The producers answered more fan questions. It sounds like episode 19 of the current season, "Shades Of Gray," is a Sylar-centric episode where we find out even more about Sylar's background and motivations. In a possibly related item, last night's episode showed a big part of the making of the villain of volume four, "Fugitives," as someone turned towards the dark side.

Actually, the person who just turned towards the dark side, in order to become a major villain in the "Fugitives" storyline? May not be Sylar. Apparently, now that Nathan is wavering about what side he's really on, Claire may have two morally ambiguous dads to disapprove of in 2009. Also, now that HRG has told Sylar he's not really Nathan's brother, Sylar is going to spend next spring on a hunt for answers about his past. And Elle may not actually be dead. There's a coverup going on, and she may rise from the grave.

Unlike 90 percent of the deaths on the show, Elle's death the other night is totally super permanent. For reals.

In other blonde actor news, Brea Grant says Daphne is definitely one of the heroes on the run in next spring's "Fugitives" storyline. And we do get to see her relationship with Matt progress, but then next year Matt "gets a little crazy."

As we mentioned, episode 3x17, "Cold War," is all about HRG, along the lines of "Company Man." And there's an intense sequence where HRG and Matt are locked in a "mental intense interrogation," and they're both out of breath and trying not to faint. They almost pass out. And HRG has some scenes with Nathan as well.

Daphne isn't on that plane that crashes during the "Fugitives" arc, killing a bunch of people. Instead, she's looking for our heroes, including her true love Matt Parkman. And the people chasing the heroes are being paid by the government.

Meanwhile, it's still true that a perky blonde heroine (involved in a hot romance) appears to die, but it's all a coverup. And Peter will get his abilities back within a few episodes. And in "Fugitives," we'll learn that Nathan and Tracy's main objective isn't just to create supersoldiers, it's more to do with command and control issues. Having soldiers at Guantanamo Bay who can literally see through people could turn out to be very useful.

And in this spring's "Fugitives" arc, Matt's wife Janice will reappear, and Matt will realize that anyone who's in the heroes' lives is in danger as much as the heroes. There won't be much time travel, but we'll still somehow see more of Ando's past, and also possibly see the founding of the Company, in 1977. Mohinder will have an "uphill battle" to remove his powers. Sylar will search for more answers about his past, and this will (surprisingly) lead him to do more "awful and scary" things.

Some new details about the start of Volume 4, "Fugitives." The arc picks up three months after the end of Volume 3. Claire is getting ready to go to college, when she finds out that her bio-daddy Nathan has created a special section to detain anyone with superpowers. Nathan's mission excludes Claire, Peter and Angela, so Nathan himself won't be exposed as a superhuman. But Claire hears that Nathan's next target is Matt Parkman, so she rushes to save him. Meanwhile, Mohinder and Tracy are still working on developing a new superpower formula (why why why?) and the special properties in Mohinder's blood make him an important factor in fighting the new heavy, the Hunter.

At last, most of the heroes are captured and on a plane en route for Guantanamo Bay. Claire gets loose and tries to free the others. Tracy freaks out and freezes the plane, killing the pilot. The plane crashes, but first Peter jumps out with Claire.

In the second episode, we discover most of the heroes survived the plane crash, but Maya was captured. Meanwhile, we learn more about the Hunter's past ties with HRG and Angela Petrelli. And Hiro and Ando help Daphne search for Matt Parkman, who meanwhile discovers his ex-wife Janice is about to give birth to a son who's important to the Hunter.

In the third episode, Matt's son is born and we see the death of a character who first appeared in Volume Two. (Maya?) In the fourth episode, "Cold Wars," we learn still more about HRG's ties with the Hunter, and a Cold War program that trained people to hunt down superhumans. And in the fifth episode, Sylar infiltrates the team that's hunting superhumans. Sylar discovers his dad is still alive — and it sounds like he's the team's next target.

And then in the sixth episode, "Shades Of Gray," we discover the whole story about (yawn) Sylar's past. We'll get flashbacks, but no actual time travel. In the seventh episode, Monica (remember her?) reappears, and she's the key to helping some of the heroes escape from captivity. And allegedly, invisible man Claude is back in episode nine. In the penultimate episode of the volume, there will be two major deaths, and in the final episode, there'll be "the mother of all deaths," plus a shocking plot twist.