Alternate scenario when Mirage goes into labor

The next six months were about the same as with Barricade, only this time there were no sudden stops of premature labor. The day Mirage went into labor was a normal day with Mirage on monitor duty when suddenly everyone heard Mirage gasp

"Mirage...are you okay?"

"Medbay...now"

Mirage is quickly taken to medbay where Ratchet declare Mirage in labor

"Okay, due to how fast this came on we aren't going to do a c-section as planned, but we are going to keep a close eye on you for distress"

"Works for me...painkillers?"

"Coming right up"

Mirage is given painkillers and then simply waits until it was time for him to give birth. An hour and fifteen minutes later he was in active labor finally ready to push his sparkling out

"THIS HURTS!"

"I know Mirage, I know, okay looks like you're fully dilated, on the next contraction I need you to push as hard as you can"

Mirage pushes five time and after the fifth time he was starting to feel like Ratchet was wrong about him being fully dilated when suddenly Ratchet gave him good news

"Okay Mirage I see the head, just a little more and you can hold your first twin"

"Can't...need...need to...catch my...breath...so tired"

"I know Mirage, but you need to push, just one more push and you're done with your first sparkling"

Mirage pushes and hears Ratchet soon afterwords

"Okay he's out, you have a boy Mirage"

Mirage is able to hold his sparkling very briefly and also manages to catch his breath when he has to push again to deliver his second sparkling. Fifteen minutes later Mirage was holding the second twin simply needing to finish the afterbirth which came quickly. Once that was done Mirage went to sleep for seven hours having used up his energy to deliver the twins and when he woke up he was surrounded by his five other sparklings with Barricade as their minder, he also heard Barricade speaking up in a calm but firm voice (he had developed a sixth sense about the trouble sparklings can get into and where they might be hiding over the years with his own triplets)

"No little one, you can't be climbing the equipment"

Mirage speaks up after seeing who Barricade is talking to

"He's right Luara, come here"

Barricade turns and smiles at seeing Mirage awake, he then goes over to the incubators that Mirage's newborn twins were being kept in and picked them up to hand them over to Mirage

"Here's your newborn twins Mirage, it's just about feeding time for them anyways"

True to Barricade's words as soon as Mirage was handed his twins they started whimpering and so Mirage opened his chest plate and put them against his chest for feeding time

"Thanks for watching over my other sparklings Barricade...what about your triplets?"

"Don't worry I have someone taking care of them for me and while they're still young and do need me everyone else understood that I was needed here to watch over your sparklings who were frantic to see their carrier"

"They felt the pain I was in during labor"

"Yes, normally you would have been able to block them with the help of painkillers but according to Ratchet the block failed due to just how powerful your contractions were, he also mentioned your children might have felt it each time you were in labor and you didn't know it because of your captors"

"So I guess you volunteered to bring them here to meet their new siblings and then stay with them until I was awake?"

"Yes, and they'll be staying with me and my triplets until you're released, Ratchet wants you to remain in here until after the surgery which will prevent you from ever carrying children again, at the same time however he is giving your body time to recover from the delivery process, which, while easier on you than it was on me was still pretty hard on your body"

"Got it"

Four days later he was in surgery again to get the modifications that would prevent him from being a carrier ever again, which was for the best since it had turned out that Punch had also managed to steal notes on each of Mirage's carrying periods and it was noted that each time was more dangerous than the last when forced to have sparklings so close together, he wouldn't have a weakened spark like what almost killed Barricade, but he was weaker for longer each time and his captors theorized that eventually it would have become dangerous for him to have any sparklings due to high risk of death during the carry period. The sparklings would grow up and join the civilian world with lots of adopted uncles since like Ratchet promised the entire base did indeed help Mirage raise his children, and Barricade's sparklings while older were good friends and playmates to Mirage's sparklings, they also looked after their slightly younger counterparts and while disappointed that they went into the civilian sector instead of joining them and serving like their parents had they understood that they had their own paths and didn't let that break the bond between them. In the intervening years before that though more than once Mirage wished that Ratchet hadn't made the modifications actually enjoying raising sparklings without fearing for their life or safety in captivity, but Barricade helped him through those moments by reminding Mirage what would have happened if he hadn't been rescued or given the modifications

"Mirage, raising my triplets are a joy but it puts stresses on our bodies that females don't have, you could die either during the carrying period or during the birthing of the sparkling(s) killing the newborn and your other children depending on a lot of factors"

"I know it's just..."

"It's different for me I know, you've had seven children and now that you don't have to worry about what might happen to your sparklings you are actually enjoying raising them"

"Exactly"