Captain Pelayo

Captain Pelayo was a helicopter pilot for the United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, 1st Force Recon, and was character of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

In game
Captain Pelayo makes her first appearance in the level Charlie Don't Surf. She is not physically seen in the level, but she is heard at the beginning of the level over the radio. She then plays a very important role in the Call Of Duty 4 storyline in the level Shock And Awe. She is piloting the helicopter that gets shot down at the end of the level. Vasquez volunteers to stay behind and help her out of Iraq, and this seals the fate of everyone in Jackson's sqaud and Pelayo herself. Vasquez leads Jackson and the other squad members out into the streets and Jackson helps Pelayo out of her helicopter. She breaks her right leg, and Jackson is forced to carry her. After helping her escape from the threats below, Al-Asad's nuke goes off and kills everyone on that helicopter. Her body is seen just outside the helicopter when Jackson stumbles out of it in the level Aftermath.

Had she not have been shot down, everyone would have survived the blast, and Jackson would have more roles in the game. Also, had she not been saved by Vasquez and Jackson, she might have been the only casaulty killed in the nuke blast.

Trivia

 * Pelayo's body is seen when you stumble out of the helicopter in Aftermath.
 * Many forums speculate that Vasqez and Pelayo had romantic feelings for each other, which is why he risked his own life and everyone elses to save her. This is not speculated or even hinted in the game, and is most likely untrue.
 * Apparantly, there are rumours of a secret cheat that allows RPGs to be disabled in the game. This could alter the storyline of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare very slightly. It has been stated that if this cheat is enabled, Pelayo would never have been shot down, thus saving everyone from the nuke blast. However, it should be noted that if this does happen, and Pelayo is not shot down, then the helicopters would still fly, and the level would end as any other level would do by blacking out. The Aftermath level follows, thus telling us that everyone would have died in the blast anyway, no matter if Vasquez helped Pelayo or not.