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"The show is made under a certain amount of duress because of the sheer size and scale of it," says creator and executive producer Tim Kring, sitting in his office alongside co-executive producers Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander. "It basically takes us a whole year to shoot a season. We don't really get a break, so the time off creatively helped us."Kring says the time allowed for a reinvigoration of the creative team -- which may pacify fans who lashed out at the "Heroes" writers for a second-season story line focusing on twins Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) and a plot that left time bender Hiro (Masi Oaka) -- a fan favorite -- trapped in feudal Japan.

Production on the new season began in May, picking up where the second season left off: the small-town Texas police station where high-flying Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) was shot down by a shadowy figure. The set was supposed to play a big role in a volume about the town being quarantined, but that was scrapped because of the writers strike.

On this day of filming, power-absorbing Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) is spending a suspicious amount of time in the janitor's closet with a scowl -- and a scar -- across his face. While his presumably dead brother, Nathan, is nowhere to be seen, Peter has caught the attention of mind-reading policeman Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg).

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Hiro will reteam with sidekick Ando (James Kyson Lee) following the murder of his father Kaito (George Takei). After receiving a beyond-the-grave clue from Kaito, the duo will set out to find a super-secret formula. Hiro will also meet his nemesis, speedy thief Daphne (Brea Grant), and will witness Hiro 3.0 when he leaps forward to a very freaky future.

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We're going to see a different version of future Hiro," says Oaka. "The first one became sort of corrupt because Ando died. This future Hiro is not as hardened because there is a future Ando, but this future Hiro gets betrayed, and what he thought was his foundation disappears. It's a big shock that Hiro will be dealing with for a few episodes."

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Kring and company promise more answers are coming. In the two-part premiere episode airing 8 p.m. EDT Monday, viewers will learn who shot Nathan and whether evil Sylar (Zachary Quinto) actually eats the brains of his superpowered victims. They'll also see a few characters wield new powers for the first time.